ELLE Starry, Starry Night
by Bluelinote
Summary: An authorized translation of KaoriSolaris's "HER; SSN". Edward's routine is changed by Bella.The problem is that he's got a girlfriend, Tanya, who lives in another country. Full summary inside. EPOV. All Human.
1. READ ME, BITE ME

**READ ME, BITE ME**

Okay, so, I'm Bluelinote and here I am publishing for the first time and already breaking a rule.

I'm really sorry about that. I won't do it again. Please, bear with me.

Tthis **introductory note** is there only so that I don't have to repeat this at the beginning of each chapter :

**This story was written in French by KaoriSolaris. **It is available on her profile here at FF. She had started translating it in English but had stopped after the 5th chapter for lack of time. That was my cue. I proposed to review her translation and to go on with it down to the last chapter. She accepted.

So here we go:**Mea Culpa**

What you're about to read has become, over the passing of so many studious hours and a few sleepless Cullennian nights, **more of a fanfic-of-a-fanfic than a mere translation**. I'm afraid I got a little carried away along the line(s) and added a few things of my own. KaoriSolaris is generous enough to be okay with my transgressions, and the only reason why she has not yet kicked me out her story is that I've kept true to its spirit and its characters. I did not alter the what-happens's, who-does-what's, when's and why's. I did not tweak the story line. My additions have everything to do with metaphors and images, internal rhyming, rhythm, assonances, laying it thick on the atmosphere of the moments. Most of the fairy-tale/Alice through the looking glass/black-hole/other dimension effects are mine along with some sub dialogue lines (you'll see, when you read, I don't want to be a spoiler!) So, if you think the style sometimes goes overboard, blame it on ME.

**Chapter Headings and Story Within the Story**

This has been my first transgression: I've over-translated the chapter headings so that they can be read independently from the story. On the one hand, each one announces or sums up the chapter it is attached to; on the other hand, by twos and threes, more rarely ones and fours, the headings link up into sentences and self-sufficiently tell a parallel summary on the surface of the story as it progresses. This is a Blue addition to Kaori's work. I have tried, when possible, to keep her words in the new versions of the headings. This story has 23 chapters. I'll upload the **full Story Within** at the very end.

**Disclaimers and notes**

**In the notes, at the beginning** of each chapter you'll find:

– **2 disclaimers**; the translation of the Author's original and the one from the translator

– some **Author's notes (AN)**:translation of Kaori's original notes.

– and **BlueNotes (BN)**, i.: mostly for added on literary references.

AN and BN notes will just appear as numbers in the text **[1,2,3,...]** and will be associated to the Author or Blue as they come.

**TransNotes **dealing with more technical translation problems or adaptation, will appear as **[TN 1,2,3...]** in the text and will be found at the end of chapters.

**SONGS (Author's note)**

This fiction is named after Don McLean's song, Starry, Starry Night (Vincent). It sustains the general atmosphere of the whole EPOV story.

Similarly, a song is associated to the general atmosphere of each chapter.

All the songs in the EPOV are in English. Those in BPOV, HIM, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted (see Kaori's profile) are in French.

A playlist and illustrative links are available on KaoriSolaris's FF profile.

So, thanks for putting up with me so far.

Now, on you go. Read on Lovely Reader, read on.

Reviews are welcome, of course.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes (AN)**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight characters. I only play with them.**_

_**Plot**: Edward Cullen's routine is changed by Bella's intrusion, first in his dreams and then, in in his real life. The problem is that he's got a girlfriend, Tanya. How is he going to handle this situation when Tanya lives very far from him and he is attracted to Bella? _

_Bella's POV is also available Lui: What Becomes of the Broken Hearted _

**Chapter 1**_: The chapter is completely poetic and lyrical. Don't worry, the rest of the story isn't like that. It's easier to understand ;) I'm not much into the esoteric. This is going to have a logical explanation._

**

* * *

BlueNotes (BN)**

_**Disclaimer :This Edward and his Bella are no more mine – alas, what a sad fact! – than the star-crossed lovers of Twilight. There's a very good reason for that: they're Kaori's and Stephenie's respectively.** I'm Twilight-owned and own but a few mean things : a tiny bit of the writing style - unleashed in translation - , one or two added metaphors, a couple of superimposed images and some stray literary references._

_**Translation****: KaoriSolaris / Bluelinote**_

**[1]** _Dino Buzzati: author of ''The K'' and other stories._

**

* * *

ELLE: Starry, Starry Night**

**Chapter-1: On the Wings of the Night...**

[Song]_ : All apologies by Nirvana _

_Night... Such beauty. What could possibly be more extraordinary than the vision of the Mighty Shadow brushing burning flames of darkness across oceans and continents to soothe and calm the world ? Yet, in the movement, She would also choose the ones she wished to reveal Herself to, and would offer them a part in Her most terrifying plots. As usual, nobody would notice ..._[TN1]

_Did I just say 'nobody' ? Well, that is quite a mistake for such a mind as mine. For **I** ignore nothing of that which deals with Night. I remember one, a writer it was, who, though he could not actually see the scary face of Night, did suspect its existence, just as one can sometimes sense the danger lurking from its den, or perceive Death's presence so clearly that one can almost smell His seductive stench _[TN2]_.__ Dino Buzzati was the name _[1]_. The man had turned his eyes into stars and had sneaked into Night's realm in order to discover Her hideous secrets._

_But, hold on, I have got so lost in my thinking that I did not even introduce myself. If it weren not for my official number – the pass without which I could not be here today, telling you about stories that happened to me, I mean stories of my own, not just stories that might have happened to some name by which I would sign off my letters or be called in the street – without that number then, I would be little more than a vague idea tossing, one moment subdued, obnoxious the next; turning, at times important, light and frivolous at others; reeling, brilliant or arcane in turns, within the confines of a body – my body, for that matter._

_The story I have to tell you is extraordinary. At least, such did it seem to me as I lived it, at a time when I had given up expecting anything from the Night, of Whom I already knew the most beautiful sighs, the sweetest moans, the most frightful sobs and all the secret wanderings._

The most beautiful night I had ever witnessed was settling in over seas and lands, men and beasts and plants, over the four winds and the elements – as delicately as a butterfly alighting on a flower petal – drawing the final curtain on one long and stifling July, 23rd. Just as every night, I had taken an armchair out into the garden, and sitting outside the house, quiet though perfectly focused, I was as usual gazing up at the sky.

I was observing the colours of the night. What amazing hues it could take on from one year to the next, depending on the seasons, the temperatures of the days, varying from month to month, from day to day, changing by the minute, by the second even. I could make out up to 52 distinct shades, and as I discovered each one in turn, I noted it down on a small spiral-bound notebook I kept carefully hidden behind a shelf. Of all these nightly shades, the perfectly black one was my favourite, as it smoothly spread like China ink over all shapes and other colours, swallowing the world up and remodelling it only to let it be born again at sunrise. I was also reviewing the shapes Night would take on; sometimes fluid and light and graceful, womanly and sacred, sometimes heavy and dark, somewhat evil.

I was all eyes, taking in the silent whispers of the sky, the singing of the stars, the soft rustling of the moon's orb gliding upon its salted shroud, the quiet stars beneath the thick and troubling sombre cloak.

Love-struck, I was gazing up at Night as she wrapped around me in an attempt to lift me up, to cut me loose from reality and to pull me in into Her dreamlands. And just as every night, I resisted Her call. For I knew – a not infrequent frightening certainty – that if I gave in, She would never again let me come to Her, or allow me to see Her naked, all Her secrets laid bare, the way She was that night. Her coy smile cutting through the fabric of stars would never again remind me of how ugly the world was in the daylight glare.

That night then, I kept looking at Night, on and on, ever reporting in my book the colours She made Herself up, the shapes She chose to appear in; the mystery of Her intentions, of Her whereabouts and ventures; the glow on Her curves and the sadness in Her ink-black eyes; Her hands like doors to the land of dreams and Her womb like a den for each and every fiend. And She danced for me as She was trying to take me in and carry me away. Indeed, to the subtle jingling of the stars She danced, and their enthralling harmonies stirred up the strangest needs in me.

Yet, though I was giving myself over to the visions, I did not lose my focus. For great Night was my all beautiful and most dedicated Mistress, and She was putting me to the test: I had to win Her graces. The whirling halo the stars formed around Her only seemed to enhance Her ethereal gracefulness ...when, something caught my eye...

**

* * *

TransNotes**

[TN1]_ Here, "She" with a capital_ _stands for the **Night** when personified. It should be **"HE**" as in English literature the night is usually personified as a male entity. The original story being written in French, Night is perceived as a feminine entity, and the present translation retains that point of view to remain consistent with the intentions of the author. _

[TN2] _Similarly "He" stands for Death, as in English literature it is personified as masculine whereas in French it is feminine. Here, the translation retains the Anglo-Saxon perception, as the situation described is reminiscent of the menacing and violent Port Angeles assault scene in Twilight_

_So, hope you enjoyed. Please, review, I won't bite back. ;)  
_

_ Bluelinote  
_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Plot**: Edward Cullen's routine is changed by Bella's intrusion, first in his dreams and then, in his real life. The problem is that he's got a girlfriend, Tanya. How is he going to handle this situation when Tanya lives very far from him and he is attracted to Bella? _

_BPOV is _HIM: What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted, _available on_ _kaori'Solaris's FF profile._

* * *

**Author's Note**

_**Disclaimer :** I don't own Twilight characters. I only play with them._

* * *

**BlueNote**

_**Disclaimer: **T**his Edward and his Bella are no more mine than the original Twilight lovers. They're Kaori's and Stephenie's respectively.** I'm twilight-owned and own but a few mean things among which a writing style gone wild in translation, a few added metaphors, superimposed images and some stray literary references. _

**Translation**: KaoriSolaris / Bluelinote

[1]_ **"**The Raven" by E.A. Poe: '...but the silence was unbroken...'_

_**In the name of the two vampy weavers of words above, enjoy ;)**_

* * *

**ELLE: Starry, Starry Night**

**Chapter 2: ...There Came an Angel...**

[Song]_ Strangers in the Night_ _by Frank SINATRA_

... A shadow, something pale and shimmering.

Strangely though, the silence remained unbroken [1]. Was the apparition floating? Or was its step so light that it hardly made a sound as it moved across the carpet of grass? Suddenly it felt as if we were standing under the shelter of an impenetrable sphere, the two of us, that shadow and I, alone.

I carefully walked up closer, still unseen. Soon enough, I could make out a figure. It was no ghost... but a girl ... an angel. Transfixed, I forgot to wonder how she could have come wandering out into my garden, or why she was strolling in my garden with no shoes on. I could but keep watching, taking in her every move.

What drew my gaze the most powerfully was her dress. Immaculately white, it fanned around her knees and exposed her satin skin, into which I instantly felt the urge to sink my teeth. Her flesh appealed to me so irresistibly.

Dazed, I walked towards her, holding up one hand in a reassuring gesture. I was afraid she would vanish but she stood there motionless, statue-like. The instant I was about to finally reach out and touch her, her beautiful chocolate eyes flipped open and her full lips parted :

''Edward... wake up!''

''...er...what?''

''C'mon, wake up! We're gonna be late for school.''

''Oh ...no !''

There was no way I could go back to sleep with Alice brutishly pushing and shaking me awake. I growled at her, but she just ignored the fact and went on:

''Dreaming's over! Welcome back to reality ! You know, real life, where you have real classes to attend, work to really do...''

There upon, she flitted off my room, allowing me and my brains a moment of quiet to surface. I shook myself up, and sitting on the bed, took a few minutes to think things over, as I did every morning now.

That dream again... It had been haunting me over the last few months. I did not understand it. Sitting out in the garden at night and sky-gazing while taking notes like an inspiration-stricken writer was no habit of mine. Yet, every morning when I woke up, it felt as if I had been fully awake all along.

And what to think of the girl...? Her figure, her face... I was almost a hundred percent sure I had never ever met that girl. But she kept obsessing me, and I could find no valid explanation to my craving her so much. How could I be longing for her when I had never caught even the slightest glimpse of her in any given place? I knew her from out of the blue, and I was yet so full of her that it was hard to remember I was not supposed to think that way. For all I knew, I had already given my heart away. To Tanya.

We had known each other since high school. Her beauty had all the boys at her feet, but I was the one she had chosen. I, the lone Edward Cullen, the sullen one who shunned the company of others because he had grown too indifferent to care. I had done nothing to draw her in, and yet, she had wanted me, no matter what. At first, I had felt flattered and so I had accepted her presence at my side ; and then one day I had realized I did care for her, a lot.

But now, she had gone. Off to Mexico in the wake of her family. And she had made me swear we would keep writing and talking to each other over the phone. And I had... With a sinking feeling at heart, I had listened to her blabbering on and on excitedly over suntan and new experiences. Six months had passed when I started dreaming the dream. Upon waking, it always left me with a sour after-taste on my tongue and sad nostalgia. So far, it had resisted all my attempts at deciphering its cryptic meaning.

I went downstairs where Alice was gaily chattering with Esme, our mother. I envied my sister her natural happiness. I was the brooding one who watched in helpless silence fellow-humans connect while he himself didn't seem to be able to fit in. Unable to share in their chit-chat, I gulped my breakfast in no time and climbed back upstairs to get my things ready before going to College.

_can't call U 2nite. sorry. T._

I hardly felt a pang at reading this text message. Tanya had built herself a new life and I didn't fit anywhere in there either.

By the time I reached the amphitheatre, I had lost all motivation. I decided to allow myself a day off and a reprieve. So I turned round and headed for the academy of music. My parents had put me to piano when I was 8 and playing had grown on me. On my 15th birthday, they had bought me a piano to which I devoted not a small portion of my days practising. Yet now, I could not go back home without having Esme switching into inquisitive-mother mode. That's why, using my position as master's assistant, I sneaked into the concert hall.

The moment I stepped in, I suddenly felt I was still dreaming...

For there she was, sitting across from me on the stool. Eyes closed, she was playing my favourite Debussy piece, _Clair de lune._


	4. Chapter 3

_**Plot**: Edward Cullen's routine is changed by Bella's intrusion, first in his dreams and then, in in his real life. The problem is that he's got a girlfriend, Tanya. How is he going to handle this situation when Tanya lives very far from him and he is attracted to Bella? _

Bella's POV is available in HIM, What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted on KaoriSolaris's FF profile.

* * *

**Author's Note**

_**Disclaimer **: I don't own Twilight characters. I only play with them._

* * *

**BlueNote:**

_**Disclaimer :This Edward and his Bella are no more mine than than the Twilight lovers. They're Kaori's and Stephenie's respectively.** I'm twilight-owned and only own the English word, the Hyde side of the writing style, a few metaphors and images._

**Translation:** KaoriSolaris / Bluelinote

_**In the name of the two word witches above, enjoy :)**_

* * *

**ELLE: Starry, Starry Night **

**Chapter 3: … And a World Collapsed.**

[song] _No line in the horizon__ by U2._

I froze, afraid she would vanish if I moved ever so slightly. Then, I had finally summoned up the courage to reveal my presence when she led her piece to its end and started a new one without a pause in her playing or a breach in her concentration. The style had changed. She had switched on to one of Chopin's _nocturnes. _She took my breath away. How could fingers so small achieve such a miracle ? Struck speechless, I stayed at a distance and simply watched the wonder of her playing. Obviously, she had a large and varied repertoire. From Chopin, she easily passed onto Rachmaninov. What was more, she played by heart. She kept her eyes down on her fingers as they nimbly flew over the keys ; she never looked up once. It must have taken her many a tedious hour of hard practise to reach such a masterful level. Surely, I would have to ask her exactly...

_But wait, wait, wait... What was I doing? How could I be thinking such things? I couldn't! It was all wrong! _I reminded myself shaking my head violently.

Somehow, I got a grip again. _What the hell was I thinking?_ I _had _a girlfriend already, even though by now she had been away for some six long months.

Her leaving had broken something in me,though. I couldn't play the piano anymore... Then the dream had started... and now the girl. Extensive book research and self-questioning, had all been to no avail. I was groping for answers.

_What should I do ?Could that girl be the key ?_

I thought of Tanya's previous message. I had felt so little of the former disappointment and pain then. Was it before she had already cancelled so many calls before ? Besides, whenever we managed to talk over the phone, the conversation merely boiled down to tiresome trivia. We never actually did talk about our future. Despite all my efforts to lead her on to how she saw our next step together, Tanya had each time shunned the subject.

I turned my back on the girl. I could not go and talk to her. Not now. Not when I was in such a troubled mood. I Finally opted out for the newsroom.

For two years now, I had been a reporter for Twilight Temptation [TN1] magazine. We were currently looking for someone to take over after Jessica, our former movie reviewer who had gone off to try her luck in L.A. I didn't think our offer would attract anyone so soon. We were in no hurry, though. There were already five of us and Jessica had left us with quite a strong impression; strong enough, actually, for us to find ourselves happy with that count.

Emmett, late as usual, had just settled at his desk when someone knocked at the door. Our Chief editor, the boss we all affectionately called Doc, went and opened, letting in our visitor, along with a breath of warm night air. Obviously, it was a girl on the threshold. I didn't even bother to turn to her. I was busy reviewing my latest paper and had no time to spare.

''Oh!'' came from the door.

_What was that? _The surprise in her voice caught my attention. Curious now, I looked up from my paper, turned and froze – again – , all things forgotten, except the girl that held my eyes.

HER...

* * *

**TransNotes**

[TN1] _The magazine is called __**Temptation**__ in the original French version and __**Twilight**__ in the author's own translation. In the present reviewed translation, I chose to keep both._

Still there? Thanks. You're great. Make my day, please, review!

See you next.

BlueL.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's notes**

_**Disclaimer:** I still don't own twilight characters (unfortunately) and that will never change. :'(_

_- Edward and Alice are brother and sister. Esme and Carlisle are their parents. Carlisle is rather absent in this fiction. Yet, his character is important._

_- Edward, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett are co-workers._

_- The name Doc is a reference to the movie _Back to the Future_. I was thinking of the character of 'Doc' Emmett Brown (played by Christopher Loyd) when I was inventing my chief editor._

* * *

**BlueNote**

_Sigh* Still much the dispossessed very much possessed by all things Twilight. Own neither Kaori's nor Stephenie's lovely lovers, nor more than their stories under the rainy skies of Northwest Pacific. I own only a bit of the writing style in the native language of the Bard._

**Translation**: KaoriSolaris / Bluelinote

* * *

**ELLE, Starry, Starry Night**

**Chapter 4: Temptation Came Here at the Door.**

[song] Because I Want You by PLACEBO.

_How come? _

What magic could have made this possible? Was I really here or was I still in my bed, dreaming? I viciously pinched my arm, and the exquisite pain confirmed I was wide awake. So much so! And then she spoke :

''Good morning. I'm here for the job.''

_O, Heaven! What a voice! _

More divine even than in my wildest dreams; firm and at the same time melodious.

''Are you, indeed?'' Doc said.

The gambler's look on his face told me he found her interesting. Contrary to what he had been expecting, she had spoken with singular ease and did not stammer once. And indeed, even I, after I had recovered from the previous shock, found myself stunned at how straightforward and unequivocal she was.

_And that voice of hers_ ... My mind boggled.

''I'm perfectly aware I lack both reference and experience in journalistic writing or chronicling, but you must give me a chance.''

_We must? Why should we? _

''So, you're telling me you have nothing to vouch for yourself, aren't you?... Why bother to come, then?''

''I have a passion for art, I love reading and I'd do the job for free. I don't need to get paid. Just give me one week and I'll prove you I'm up to it.''

Well, to say the least, she did know what she wanted, but... one week? Did she really think she could make an impression in so short a time? Alice always said that given my unyielding and blasé temper I could accept but very gradual change, and this only reluctantly, if at all.

''OK, Let's give it a try.'' Doc resumed. ''I submit a topic to you and all I want from you is a short paper on the issue. It will have to meet my line. You've got until next week, same time. Deal ?''

''Deal!''

I understood Doc's strategy. He was putting her to the test. She would have to be able to sum up a week's research material into a few concise informative sentences. She would have to be able to get the essential through in a few lines. I was surprised to find myself wishing he would not give her something too complex.

''Children in pain.''[TN1]

_Ouch ! _Doc was tough there. He must have been impressed in the wrong way, already. But wait, what kind of smile was that, tugging at the corners of the girl's mouth? And those sparkles dancing in her eyes ?

''One question? Will you judge me on content, form or both?

_Well done! _She was making me more curious by the minute. I wanted to hear more from her.

''Is that important?''

''Well, yes, because if it is only about contents, I can fill you in right now. As for the form, give me but one night, and you might not even have to wait until next week. You could have the story by tomorrow.''

''Now you got me curious.'' Doc put in. ''Go ahead, I'm all ears.''

And so was I. I burnt to know what her brains would come up with. Could she possibly egg me on even further?

''Sooner or later, one day or another, any child has had to experience pain, whether physical or psychological. Parental response to help a child suffering from chronic pain will have to be very different from that required in the case of acute pain, you know, such as the pain you get from injuries or falls.

With chronic suffering, the basic question is : What is it getting in the way of? Is it preventing the child from falling or staying asleep at night? Does it affect its appetite, preventing it from eating? Is it an impediment to the child's normal school life? – Is the child unable to go to school or come back home after school? Is it having difficulty concentrating or doing its homework? – Is the pain interfering with normal social and physical responses to family interactions ?

These are important issues that have to be addressed to help parents help their children .

The other important problem that needs to be tackled is finding whether the child is depressed or anxious, which could precede, add to or result from a case of child suffering. Then finally, what persisting factor keeps the pain going? Is there a bully at school? What other factors of stress can affect the child, as it is well admitted that stress can only make things worse ?''

As she spoke, her eyes sparkled with diamonds. I was transfixed. She had left me baffled once more. Apparently, she could even send my mind reeling with just an intelligent lecture. I glanced around at the others : Alice was hanging on the newcomer's every word ; Rosalie looked surprised, though she kept an inscrutable expression, her instinct telling her to trust no-one; Emmett appeared mildly entertained, I wondered why; Doc was thinking, abstract-mindedly scratching his beard. I turned my glance again to the girl. She looked nervous now. Her fingers were fidgeting. I couldn't take my eyes off them – they were short, like a child's, but slender ; I concluded that she must surely practise some kind of physical activity, otherwise her fingers would have been chubby.

At last, Doc quit thinking :

''Nice speech, especially as you've just made it all up. The language is clear, precise and of high standards. Well-argued content : problem / solution. You managed to remain unbiased, while taking us as witnesses at the same time. Just as I expected. OK, you're in! Of course, you'll be paid by the line. Doesn't pay much, but I can see you've got what it takes, burning with zeal, and I like that. You'll work solo, but you can ask for help. The team won't refuse.''

''The team?''

''Oh, yeah, I forgot. I'm losing all my manners with all this. Don't you know any of us?''

''No, I'm sorry. As stupid as it may sound, I arrived in town not even a month ago and I didn't have time to get an update on Seattle current affairs.''

If she was so fresh in town, how come I knew her face to the point of dreaming of it every night? The mystery was harassing and I knew it would go on being so unless I had it solved.

''So, these are Alice and Rosalie, respectively in charge of comic books and music reviews. There, you've got Emmett for literature, Edward, is doing the news, and I, Arthur, do the science papers. We may really be just a bunch of amateur reporters brought together by our Twilight Temptation weekly mag, yet you'll quickly see that we're giving it all we have. Rosalie is a local celeb' with her rock band _'The Arcade'_, and she's having her name spoken outside, thanks to the media coverage on several national singing contests in which she took part. Alice is a regular feature at the _Festival de la BD d'Angoulême_ – a festival dedicated to comic design in France. Seattle officials are so proud of her talent that her plane ticket to France is paid for by the town. Emmett is the less adventurous and enterprising of us all. He's afraid to have a go at it but I'm confident that I will eventually convince him to have his books reviewed.'' He said, winking knowingly at the girl.

That was the cue. She was accepted. Besides, usually Doc never indulged in such extensive talking unless he really got excited about some story. He went on :

''Edward wants to make a career as a journalist, so you can ask him about anything. He'll have the answer and he'll be able to guide you. As for me, I am a professor at the University of Seattle, Science and Research Department.

We started the magazine because none of the existing addressed student interests. And now, it has become part of us. There's never a cover story, as we just write as inspiration goes. You can write about anything you want, as long as the content is not offensive, of course. The girl you replace did the movie reviews, but don't feel obliged to take it up. You can choose to chronicle whatever other topic you're interested in. Do you have any preferences yet, …er... ?''

''Bella.''

''Oh, sorry I didn't ask earlier. I'm really lost on manners.''

She didn't give Doc's question a second thought and answered right away:

''Art in general. That spans a wide range of topics and I like that: painters, composers, dancers... Whatever they do, every one of them deserves to be known.''

I agreed with that. To me, the true artist was the one who valued any work of art for what it was, regardless of forms, art movements, markets and fashions, which really were meaningless.

''It's okay by me. You'll just have to avoid being too current. You can do that, can't you ?''

''Yes, I can understand. There's nothing interesting in talking about people currently famous simply because they happen to be under the spotlights of some dumb TV show, whereas others, more talented, are just groping in the dark for recognition.''

''Exactly. So we see each other next week, same place.''

She blinked her eyes. It was sometimes hard to keep up with Doc's erratic behaviour, but I was confident that she would be just fine.

_What? Again... What was I thinking of ?_

She blushed, hesitated an instant, her eyes fixed on the tip of her shoes, then she turned round ... and I understood : She was leaving, right now. It was a relief when Doc stopped her to ask :

'' So, Bella, you could finally find your way with my indications, couldn't you?''

''Oh, yes. Ha, ha ,ha ! I made it safely home. Next time, I'll check the clock when I'm working.''

I was stunned. So, like me, she could work so intently as to lose track of time!

''Where do you live?''

Count on Alice to ask the one question I wouldn't have thought of. All the same, now, I was eager to hear Bella's answer. _Bella..._ I would lie if I claimed I didn't like saying her name, even if,as yet, it was only in my head.

''Not far. It's just a ten minute's walk from here. Thirty minutes if you don't cut through the park. It's on 30th.''

''So we're neighbours. I'm on 29th.''

Alice jumped to her feet, clapping her hands. Bella had already won her over. How did she do that when Tanya, whom I had known for years, had never graduated as my sister's friend? I found it unfair somehow.

''We could go home together then, if it is OK with you.''

''Sure.''

''Any spare time activities?'' asked Rosalie unenthusiastically.

''Well, I teach dancing a bit and I play a few instruments''.

''Which ones?'' Rose pressed on, getting excited now.

''Piano, guitar, violin, drums.''

''Won't you just?'' Rose wondered in a laugh.

I gaped at the list. Either she was that kind of person who gets easily bored with everything or we were talking to a true prodigy.

''I'm not good enough to play in front of an audience.'' She added hastily, blood rushing to her cheeks.

_Add modesty to the list. _

''How old are you?'' asked Emmett.

''Twenty. Why? ''

''I knew you _were_ young. How come you could be a dance teacher, then ?''

_20? _The way she spoke had me believe she was older. She sounded so much more mature than a normal girl of 20. She seemed so level-headed and she spoke so seriously.

''That's a funny story, actually. I'm not a full-fledged teacher. Just an assistant. I'll try and pass the test this year, to qualify for the job.''

So young and already so resolved. Suddenly, I could no longer afford to stay there. If I stayed, she would distract me further away from Tanya, as she would keep on fuelling the curiosity that drove me to her. That was so wrong! And I felt so bad about it. I was several hundred miles away from my girlfriend, every night I dreamed of another girl, tonight, that same girl had finally materialised... and she appealed to me irresistibly...

_NO !_ I had to go away from her I had to try and force some focus back into my racing thoughts. _NOW !_

''Hey, Doc! Got something to do, right now. I'll be back in one hour.''

And I hastily threw a few things pell-mell into my bag and jumped to my feet. I resisted the urge to run – like a guilty thief – for the door. Once it had securely closed behind me, I took a deep, deep and intense, breath of fresh air.

* * *

[TN:1] _The topic __Doc assigns __to Bella was "The denial of pregnancy" in the original French version. In KaoriSolaris's translation it has changed to "Children with chronic pain" as it was a current issue in the US at the time the story was published. _

Thanks for being here and still reading. Did you enjoy the time? Yes? No? Just say it. Out here. Review .

Now will you go on with the flow? Will you our little Ed on his night stroll follow? Beware though! At night sometimes, things come as a surprise. Not everything just is what it appears in the willing shadows. And one is never yet so sure to know who is really fleeing, who's following and who's being followed...

Teased much, now? See you next.

Blue_  
_


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's note**

_**Disclaimer:** I still don't own twilight characters (unfortunately) and that will never change. I'm still just playing with them._

* * *

**BlueNote**_**:** _

_**Disclaimer:**These lovely lovers are Kaori's and Stephenie's respectively. I'm just a twilight-owned blue linnet with an everlasting crush for English and words. I own only a few of the latter in my own style. Attuned to earthly tunes and to the music of the spheres, I have this twisted thing for fair, fair fairy tales and all things Magic - that terrible longing for a touch of the Sparkling and the Sublime in our ordinary lives._

**Translation: KaoriSolaris / Bluelinote**

_**In the name of Stephenie and kaori, enjoy :)** _

* * *

**ELLE: Starry, Starry Night **

**Chapter 5: I Fled, Was Followed and Following, Got Lost.**

[Song] _Decode by Paramore (Had to, sooner or later :)_

With no particular place to go, I spent the rest of the day walking the streets randomly. I was just deep in my racing thoughts and paid very little attention to traffic or people. I walked so abstract-mindedly that I very nearly got run over. My aimless wandering ultimately took me to the park. Hardly a coincidence when you came to think of it as it was a familiar haunt of mine. It lays near the library and I would often go there whenever I needed to find some peace of mind. By then, it was night and, seated on a bench in the starlight, I was the only soul in sight. There, the surrounding silence eased me into a sort of slumbering trance, and my eyes, uplifted, looked for answers in the sky.

_What should I do?_

And as if by magic a wish had been granted, a gentle breeze arose, my eyes lost their focus and my mind drifted off...

.

.

… I had decided to declare my love to Tanya after the movie. I had been so thrilled then, I had not even objected to her movie choice – predictably some sloppy lachrymose thing – content enough to be that lucky guy who would be sitting at her side. Our two hands had been touching all the time as they lightly rested between us, but I had not dared cover hers with mine. _How would she re__act_ _?_ Also predictably, she had wept at the movie's ending and I had again been only too happy to be the lucky guy who lent her his soothing and comforting shoulder, as it provided me with a not so innocent excuse to hold her in my arms and feel her body against mine. How engrossed I had been with the picture the two of us were cutting in that moment. I had been so aware that anyone seeing us then and there would think us a couple.

Soon enough though, she had recovered, which, much too soon for the lucky guy, had put and end to our moment. She had grabbed my arm and tried to drag me toward the exit. She had been feeling self-conscious, not wanting the people around to see her face in its current state, her features sort of twisted by running streaks of smeared make-up. I had followed with reluctance. I had so yearned to prolong the moment! I had even pulled the desperate ploy of recalling to her mind the most heart-wrenching scenes of the film... and had hopelessly failed to recapture the instant. She had already reverted to her usual self again.

I had escorted her to her place. She lived quite a long way away from mine, but I had wanted to make sure she would be safe. Well, let's be honest, that had been another lame excuse for the now less lucky than crestfallen guy. Yet, apart from that, I had intended this to be _my_ night. I was every bit determined to take the decisive step forward, refusing to keep my hidden feelings hidden any longer. And so we had reached her porch and stopped at her door. I had seized her arm before she could turn her back on me and go inside.

"Tanya, wait... I wanted to tell you..."

"What? Make it quick, Eddie."

Ah! She never lost time. She always knew what she wanted, and when she had set her mind onto something, nothing could stop her. Details were of no importance whatsoever. To her pausing meant stagnating and time wasted. As usual she was pressing me on. No offence intended. She was just her usual pushy self again.

"Well, I was thinking... We've known each other for quite some time now, haven't we?"

_Well done, Edward! Some introduction, that was! Was that the best you could come up with? Pathetic!..._

I could have punched myself

"Indeed..."

"And we know everything about each other, right?"

"I think so, yeah..."

"What I'm trying to say, Tanya, is that... I'm done with just being friends with you. I want more. I'm in love with you, Tanya."

"What?"

"Well, listen, you don't have to say anything right now, okay? I know you're surprised. So take your time. Think it over. See you tomorrow anyway."

I had turned round and left her there. Next thing I remembered was running as fast as my legs could run all the way back home. I had wanted my bed, needing to lie down and sleep it over. And yet, once there, I had not found the slightest rest that night. I had kept tossing and turning in the tangle of my sheets, feeling all queasy and gasping for air, sick with nerves.

The following morning, an edgy sad-sack and grumpy nervous wreck, I had gone out jogging to try and take my mind off the subject. Esme, the usual early riser, had not even attempted to stop me with breakfast. She had just offered her gentle smile in understanding and support. I had spent the remainder of the day in the same feverish state, utterly unable to focus on anything be it small talk or work, shunning the members of my family. I had finally drifted to my bed, washed out and stranded, open-eyed yet unseeing in a _clair de lune_ of sorts, as Debussy's liquid notes had been playing on my sound system, filling in the otherwise unbroken silence and lapping over me in cool and soothing waves. An ultimate and desperate attempt at calming the wild currents of my mood.

There I had been, serene at last on the soft island of my bed when something had clinked on the windowpane. _Clink!_ Once..._ Clink! _Twice … And a third time again, until I had realized it was not the rain that clinked unusually on my windowpane, but unusual pebbles that rained and clinked at my window. Tanya! Tanya had finally come to me. Light and airborne, I had literally flown downstairs, yanked the door open and found her there, a quiet and patient smile gracing her mouth...

And then, and there, she stood on her toes, pulled herself up to me, and – _slow motion, and violins, and wildest imaginings belying reality_ –

she

…

had

…

kissed

…

_me_

…

.

.

...That kiss had sealed and branded the beginning of the happiest months of my existence.…Of course now, she was gone... and I was in this park, vaguely despondent, utterly alone. And utterly in the dark. The gentle breeze was still blowing, whistling a strange and soft melody to my ears, a lullaby, and for an instant it seemed to muffle all surrounding sounds but some eerie footfalls.

I slowly turned to the intriguing noise...

... and she was there, standing right at the park entrance. I was certain she couldn't see me in the dark. Yet, she seemed to hesitate. Why? What had made her pause in her path? I glanced down at my watch and suddenly realised how late it had come. Already 9 pm. How completely I had lost track of time! I didn't want to scare her away... and I was so curious! _What would she do next? _So I remained absolutely still, cloaked and unseen in the dark folds of the all complacent Night as I kept silently watching...

_...Bella._

And still she was making no move toward the gates. For all it seemed, she could have been another ornament of the park: a beautiful fixture to please the eyes and balm the souls of wanderer-bys, a statue of pure wonder spell-carved in the heart of life's own material, a graceful work of nature's art, that graced my eyes with simple human majesty, and blessed my soul with magic and ethereal beauty. By the light of a nearby lamp-post – _Would the Little Prince and Narnya folks come to this park tonight, all a-bowing and curtseying, to do _Bella _reverence? – _I could make out the still unresolved look on her face. She sighed then. And once more. Then she turned around abruptly and walked away briskly.

I jumped to my feet, and as I reached the place where she had stood, I just had time to see her form vanish around the corner. I ran after her until I caught up with her shadow that stretched and walked before me on the pavement. From time to time, this twin of hers, this fawn of sorts, would suddenly take a dancing step, spin an impromptu pirouette before gaily sauntering off again. Why this enchanting, if haphazard, choreography? What happy thought was prompting her playful and nimble steps? Was it just the mysterious tune that invisible earphones whispered in her ears?

_Wait... Stop!_

I came to an abrupt halt and shook my head.

_Gosh! What was I doing now? Stalking?_

Absolute shame crashed down on me.

Crushed and dejected, I turned my own leaden steps the other way around, and proceeded head bowed toward the place where I really belonged, following this time a shadow of my very own, this very new, very alien and very loathsome me, this spawn of all things vile, the sum of all hungers and all thirsts for radiance, who in the darkness lurked, leered and prowled, and hunted dancing girls in the light-less hours after Day once more has died, with the benevolent blessing of his all-time accomplice and Mistress, Night.

* * *

**BlueNote:**

So, now you've come this far, I hope you've enjoyed the walk we've taken together on the night side.

Que sera sera.

**Big Bad, Bad Blue:**

_Because of a lost and crushed – and so precious – USB device (long and sad story), this chapter and all the next had to be totally retyped. Blue so far had been so tame and tried so hard not to let the narrative vampire take over. But Chapter five was her demise. The pull was too intense. Chapter Five is when the Blue-Monster Hyding in me starts to show its evil fangs and throws its massive blue paws in the style game. So if you think things (words, and images and sentences and so many other things...) are going overboard, well, blame it on the dark side of ME. Blue Wookie never claimed to be Jedi. Sorry._

_Deeply heartfelt thanks to Kaori to bear with my word-jacking. You're a star, Sparkling._

So, Lovely Reader, will you go one step further? Follow the blue wordy road.

No turnpike on the way, but a review would make my day :).


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

_**Disclaimer**__: I still don't own twilight characters (unfortunately) and that will never change. I'm still just playing with them._

* * *

**BlueNote:**

_**Disclaimer: **First, there was the written word, and it was Stephenie's. Then came Kaori and her story. As for me, I own the wordy English, a kid's thing for all things Magic, deep love for every Music – that of the spheres or of the Earth, the chiming words – and sometimes wish the human skin could actually sparkle in this world. _

Translation: Bluelinote.

[1] _**There**: inspired by _"There and Back Again: a Hobbit's Tale" by Bilbo Baggins, _from J.R.'s The Lord of the Rings. _

_**In the name of Stephenie and kaori, enjoy :)**_

* * *

**ELLE: Starry, Starry Night**

**Chapter 6: … Until She Lead Me There, **[1]

**In Between Doors and Inter-Views,... **[TN1]

[Song] _Whenever You Will__ by The Calling._

I was up early the next morning, though I was awake most of the night. The dream was always on my mind and fast becoming my second favourite obsession. For the first time since it had started trespassing on my nights, I had been desperate to dream it again. I had called for it last night in vain. Anyway, I had two interviews on my agenda that day, so I got ready without further ado and quickly went downstairs. Alice was still asleep and my mother did not question my hasty departure.

I stopped short on my tracks.

_Hasty? Why the rush? What was I running to?_

I dropped my head into my hands before resuming my steps again. At the same pace.

That week, I had decided to write a story on the career of one of the teachers at The Academy of Music. It was also a pretext. It gave me a good reason to hang around the place a bit more, though I already spent a fair amount of time there thanks to my job as a teacher's assistant. But I liked the atmosphere. Even despite the too frequent false notes, I liked hearing the intermingling sounds of so many instruments as they were being played at the same time but separately. It formed a sort of very modern piece, neither really jarring nor quite melodic as the ensemble achieved its own delicate balance on a very tenuous line of harmony between perfection and chaos. Scattered and vagrant strands of sound laced together, with fine air and fair light intertwined, the very fabric of music flowing down from the upper floors, billowing out of every door, a very serene tide of silk that ebbed and flowed within each room and hall, and clapped gently along the walls, _a tempo_, the throbbing and living heart of the Academy. It felt like home. Every opportunity to go and spend some extra quality time there was good to take.

At the reception desk, I asked for Miss Mallory, the woman I had an appointment with. The receptionist, Jane, according to her badge, told me that Ms Mallory was not yet arrived. Jane had to be new. I had never seen her before. She ran her eyes over me from head to foot – and then back up to the last wisp of my hair, probably – but I was too abstracted to mind very much. Of course I was a teeny bit too early. Only by a mere few hours. _So what?_ She suggested I should come by again later, but I dismissed it with a wave of my hand.

"Thanks, I'll stay around and wait."

I left before she could show me to the exit, or chat me up. I wandered aimlessly along the corridors. Soon though, the sound of a piano made me stop short. Though all my years of practice had rendered me somewhat particular, picky to a degree and rather hard to please, I could still appreciate a well-played piece of music. And the person who was currently playing beyond that door did certainly excel in the art. Slowly, I stepped forward. Loath to risk interrupting the artist by revealing my presence, I turned the knob silently, opened the door a mere crack, and as discretely as I could, inched my head inside. There, I... just froze. It was HER.

_._

… _Bella ... _

_._

She did not stop_. _She had certainly not seen me. Her fingers literally flew over the keys. They glided, prancing and elegant, and danced, bouncing and pirouetting in myriad arabesques, ever reluctant to merely settle upon white key instead of black, never content to have to choose ebony dark over ivory light, always deciding to fill the in-between expectant spaces and the gaps with tones and half colours of their own. Their antics charmed and riveted my eyes, while their music wove a crafty spell around my mind, blowing it away. First it felt like a nudge in my ribs, then a tugging on my arm, and then came the intolerable pull. It was irresistible like something gravitational, taking me further and further away...

… I was losing control...

I freaked out.

It took all I had to walk away from the greedy black-hole that had suddenly tore through the fabric of my universe. I took refuge in the nearest restroom – nobody in sight, not a sound and no Cosmic Pianist Circe, Mad Pointed-Hatter Merlin or clocked-up white rabbit around. There, in the very normal and so prosaic environment, I allowed myself some time to put together again what shredded scarterlings of my mind I could retrieve from whatever place it is that lays beyond the deceptive frame of Alice's mirror. As if I were massively jet-lagged, it took me a great deal of effort to remember that this was planet Earth and that within the current time zone, on this plane of existence, people were most certainly waiting for me downstairs. So I steered a direct course toward the lobby, at a brisk walk, with a renewed sense of purpose, feeling like my whole confident self again. There, I was informed that Ms Mallory had still not made her appearance yet. I didn't know her. It was difficult to know everybody here. There were lots of staff and as many mismatching timetables did not easily provide bonding opportunities.

Unable to resist the intolerable call of fingers on keys, I drifted upstairs once more. This time I was fully prepared for the fiercely charming onslaught on my reason, bracing myself, ready to fight the allied forces of so many misaligned and colliding universes, and retain every atom of my soul in its originally intended place. But this time, two other teachers had joined Her and the trio now played some more contemporaneous pieces. Some of them, I knew: excerpts from movie soundtracks, some national anthems. They played everything and some more. They turned or judged nothing down, and their unconditional love for Music, _any_ music, could not suffer that any piece they came up with went unplayed. Awed, but still myself though humbled, I listened on and marvelled at the perfection and wonder of their harmony. Aware of the passing of time, though – _who was the white rabbit now, huh?_ – I had to leave them at some point.

Downstairs, Ms Mallory had just arrived – _at last !_ – … and I so eagerly wished I were still up THERE listening to them.

"Good, morning. I'm Edward Laplume [TN2]. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms Mallory."

"Please, forget about the _Miss _and call me Lauren." She said, all giggles and batting eyelids.

_Ugh! _That Lauren woman could easily be old enough to be my mother. _Call me Cougar, rather. Gross!_

I ignored the last bit. I did not want her to hope in vain. Besides, I had developed an instant allergy to her outrageously flirtatious and – _oh, so subtle!_ – mines. She did not need to know we were already colleagues. I very dearly hoped that she would not discover that fact too soon. Well, NEVER could be a fine compromise by me.

" So, Ms Mallory could you tell the readers of Twilight Temptation about your career and what brought you here eventually?".

Really, I could not be less interested in the topic. I took some notes, though. Job ethic or mere attempt at retaining a minimum of focus. My head was in a flutter and my thoughts were straining hard to make a run for it and fly upstairs to the glorious land of freedom and beauty over which ruled that almost divine trio of unruly musicians.

_What were they playing just now? Would I be able to listen to them again before meeting Billy Black for my second interview? Or would I have missed it all by then?_

I snapped to attention again, as Ms Mallory was touching upon how she had landed her present job at the Academy. With my luck, she would not stop at that and keep on talking. Predictably enough, she rambled on.

"... and I've been here for the last five years. I've made some new friends. Pity my friend, Mrs Cope that is, should have family issues to deal with at the moment. As a result she is less present here and someone had to be hired to cover up until she is able to come back. Bella's nice but she's still very young. She arrived just a few weeks ago and her father tipped her on the job. Anyway, she would not have lasted if she hadn't been talented."

"Bella? She replaced your friend?"

" She did. Like I said, Trudy is facing a divorce and her son has just had a car accident..."

"When you say 'young', what do you mean?" I cut in.

"Well, she's only twenty. She hasn't even been taking lessons here, or at any other school, for that matter... She's barely out of her teens... Oh, well. Besides, she was originally hired as a tutor, and here she is now, jumping in on Trudy's job! I'll willingly admit that she is good, but that apart, there's a line between the two that was never meant to be crossed."

I didn't bother to listen to the rest. I didn't agree with the annoying woman and Bella had certainly more in common with me than with her colleague. I put an end to the interview and climbed back upstairs to the room Jane had indicated to me for my next appointment. In the corridor, I did not turn round at the rustling sound of papers spilling on the floor. I did not turn either at the muttered curse that followed because I …

...just froze.

.

Again...

Except this time, it was...

..._her voice!_

_._

So, frozen, I did not move a finger as the sound of her footsteps in my back came closer and closer. Anticipating the passing of Bella, I took one step aside toward the wall, to clear her way. She did pass me. But not after she had bumped hard into me on her course. _So much for chivalry and thoughtfulness_. She apologized absent-mindedly and went on without so much as a glance. She was in a hurry...obviously. Relieved that she had not recognised me, I walked forward at a more measured step than hers. She had disappeared behind the door I was headed to. I didn't want her to nail me down as a sick compulsive stalker.

I shouldn't have felt so guilty. After all, my presence there was entirely and easily justifiable: two duly appointed interviews and my assistant status were reasons enough. Well, reason and feelings are two very distinct things – _another in-between line normally not meant to be crossed! – _No matter what, I still felt like a child caught red-handed at some vile and totally reproved mischief around the cookie jar. _Awesome !_

Music was sifting through the appointed door. I hesitated. _She would know I was there_... I finally forced my hand to weigh on the handle. And my boldness was twice rewarded. For not only did she not register my presence, but also, she just started singing...

_Oh, Bliss!_

Was I blessed, now, though undeserving!

_Again..._

_. _

_...her voice_

_._

_pleasant_

_warm, vibrant_

_simply true_

_and stirring_

_and spellbinding_

_and..._

God, was I stirred... and spellbound... and mesmerised by this cosmic-pianist-Circe-witch now turned siren! She called to everything in me that longed and craved and could love. In that imperfect voice of hers – _but oh, so genuine and true!_ – she sang but words while quietly shouting at the same time, speaking volumes of the vulnerable and the strong, of the flakiness of things and adamant intent, of hesitation and of passion, of surrender and victory, of the damned being blessed, of the many shades there are between what is white and what is black, of innocence corrupted and evil redeemed, of the eternal radiance that throbs in the bosom of even the darkest night. And it made me wonder...

When she was finished, the three of them talked together, and teasingly, her two colleagues vowed that no matter how, they would have her sing again some other time. Blackmail was considered an option [TN3]. She blushed fiercely but did not object. Perhaps she hoped that there would not be another time. The scraping noise of a stool being pushed aside put an end to my speculations. One of the men apologised and came to me.

"Hello, I'm Billy Black. I believe we have an appointment."

I nodded. He led me out. Though I was still shaken by Bella's performance, I had regained some composure and collected my mind. She had not turned when Billy's leaving had revealed the presence of an uninvited, though silent, audience. The scarlet patches on her neck, waving the red flag of embarrassment, told me that she would not look my way. _I_, though, could not keep my eyes off her averted figure as she disappeared, inch by inch, behind the door slowly revolving on its hinges. When it came shut in between her and me, it was like a reminder that many myriad lines can be drawn between many one and another thing unless some one on the other or one side allow not that such a line should be drawn.

_Ancient much, now Eddie-Boy._ _Been reading stars lately? That a message?_

_Next thing you say won't be ''I see dead people", huh? _

_Oh, God! How far could this thing go?_

* * *

**TransNotes:**

[TN1]_ This chapter boasts a **secondary heading** because **Interview** is its title in the original French version. The "In-between-ness" of our Edward in this chapter and his glimpses of an ever-elusive Bella at the opening or closing of doors made me keep it. The hyphenation of the word 'interview' here is no spelling mistake. The lame play on words was too tempting not to be attempted. ;) _

[TN2]_** La plume:** Ed's pen-name as a journalist literally means **'the feather' **or** 'the quill'**_

[TN3]_** In French, **the phrase **Faire chanter quelqu'un** can literally mean **To make/have someone sing **or metaphorically** To blackmail someone.**_

_In the original version in French, Kaori played on the double-entendre. The pun is lost in English._

* * *

**Hey there, Lovely Reader. What do you say? Enjoyed the peeks through the looking glass?  
**

**Aye? Review. **

**Nay? Review still. **

**Ready to get to the other side? So, see you over the next rainbow.**

**Blue.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: **

_**Disclaimer **_: I own copies of the Twilight Saga Books, sadly though, not their copy rights:'(

[3]_**Les fleurs du mal**__**. **__A collection of poems by French poet and writer __**Charles Baudelaire**__. (who also tranlated E.A. Poe's Stories into French)_

[4]_ Bella's parents are commercial agents in the import-export business and the family has kept moving houses around the world. So Bella has lived in various countries, including France._

* * *

**BlueNotes:**

_**Disclaimer: **Still much the dispossessed very much possessed by all things Twilight. Own neither Kaori's nor Stephenie's lovely lovers, nor more than their stories under the rainy skies of the Pacific Northwest. I own only the translation in the native language of the Bard, some literary references and a sadist's love for twisted words. The frenzied fits of overboard stylistics, the hyperbolic coughs of pomp and grandiloquence: well, yeah,... blame it on the translator._

Translation: all Blue ;)

[1] _**And Back Again**: inspired by _"There and Back Again: a Hobbit's Tale" by Bilbo Baggins, _from J.R.'s The Lord of the Rings. _

[2]_ Blue little nutsiness. A really lame play on Shakespeare's words: The Taming of the Shrew and of course, the well-known line ''To be, or not to be; that is the question" from The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark (III.1.58) together with Graham Greene's The Heart of the Matter. Just word, words, words. Sorry about that ;)_

**In the name Kaori and stephenie, enjoy! **

* * *

**ELLE: Starry, Starry Night**

**Chapter 7: ... and Back Again. **[1]

[Song] _Scars__ by Papa Roach._

In the evening, I went to meet the other TwiTemp teamers at the library. Somewhat phased and more than a little lost after this crazy day, I didn't know how or what to think any more. Mind seared and blinded, I was miserably groping around in my head looking for lost reason and meaning. Let's just say, I knew that I was simply losing it and that I had pathetically failed at regaining any of my former grip on things... So I grabbed a chair. – Believe it or not, I was quite surprised that it did not turn to sand at once, nor right-away vanish into thin air! – Without a glance or word to the others, I plopped down on the fortunately still coherent piece of furniture.

Though _I _myself could not think straight for the moment, I knew what _they_ were thinking. No psychic superpower needed, there.

"_What's the matter with him tonight?"_

_Yeah, someone tell me what_ _the frigg__ing__ problem was with me!_

That was _the_ very good question, indeed. But then, for it to be, or not to be, readily answered, now _that_ was an altogether different and shrewd matter to be, or not to be, taken to heart and tamed. [2]

Shortly after, my ever-drifting thoughts were tugged back ashore as Bella appeared, all panting and dishevelled. She stopped and remained at a distance, uncomfortable and hesitant, shifting on her feet. She just looked at us, not daring to move forward, until Rosalie and Alice motioned her to come and sit with us. She grinned an intriguing little smile and settled at my side.

_Why did she have to sit just there?_

As she was taking her things out right under my nose, the sick stalker in me apparently could not resist the temptation of her bag's unspoken invite. I managed to sneak a good peek inside and the spine of a book immediately rewarded my prying eye. The original French title just flagged me. Les fleurs du mal. _Hello, hello, Monsieur Baudelaire. Good evening and 'bonsoir' _[3] _._

In the course of my interview with Billy Black a few hours before, I had gathered that Bella was quite the globe-trotting polyglot [4]. Among who knew how many other languages of the wide world, she could speak French...

… and that was the beginning of my end. The signal for my demise. My undoing. My Waterloo. Right then and there, with a little help from our common friend Baudelaire... she... had...me. Warmer winds from across the Atlantic whispered of an end to ice-cold things and hinted at fairer springs. Somewhere in me, everlasting snows started to melt big time and huge glaciers began, oh! so quietly, so very patiently to thaw.

Well, blame it again on the French. I had taken the language in High School, and it had remained a favourite ever since. For me, the very word breathed of romanticism, and romance, and spoke of liberty. Despite its Latin complexity, I had not yet relinquished all hope that one day I'd be able to hone my scanty knowledge up to fluency. Perhaps, if I asked her, she would help me improve my...

_Stop! Don't you go wading in these muddy waters, Shadow Boy. Think T.A.N.Y.A !_

_Get. A. Grip!_

My sister chose that moment to speak:

"So, Bella, what have you been up to today?"

"Nothing special. Just relaxed a bit."

_Wow! _That was some cram-it-all-up-in-the-tiniest-nutshell-ever understatement of the… since the Big Bang! Under the same circumstances, Tanya would not have missed the opportunity to make a flooding Nile of it. An ever-rambling flow of words, rendered meaningless as they would inevitably get lost and bogged down and dead-ended in the marshy shallows of a sea-forsaken delta. Tanya would have launched herself in the telling of a never-ending saga in God knew how many volumes, complete with appendixes and author's footnotes. No way she would have downplayed the thing. She liked too much being the focus of all the others' attention.

_Now,_ s_top comparing HER to Tanya! They really have nothing in common..._

Indeed. They were worlds, light years and several more dimensions apart.

"Lucky you!" Alice replied. "While the rest of us have had to work all day! Life's just so unfair! Oh, speaking of work, have you come up with an idea already for your first story?"

"Actually I have, yes."

"Sooo? … C'mon, don't keep us waiting!"

"Well, I'd like to write something about master-classes."

Somehow, it didn't surprise me. That would be like her.

_How would you know, smarty-head? Been reading minds lately? _

Of course, I hardly knew her. And yet it felt just right. A piece of a puzzle, anything but random, fitting seamlessly in its intended place. A statement, as pure, as simple, as certain as a fact.

For a moment I was lost to the conversation, being too busy blaming myself for the self-invited thoughts that kept on stepping out of restrained bounds in my head. I heaved a heavy sigh. That had to stop ! She literally called to every one of my atoms and each one of them answered the call screaming, in ache and need and wild craving for her presence. I did not have the strength to stay away from her any more. I had to stop running. It was time to grow a pair and face this thing head on.

"...an opportunity to show parents and teachers what progress their children and students have achieved. And the students, they get a clearer picture of themselves. They learn to balance successes and failures more accurately. They also gain a better perspective and more measure for the next stretch of the way that waits for them ahead. They also learn self-confidence. On-stage artists have to conquer their fright and address the audience; how to seduce and capture them. Of course, master classes also provide the young and yet-to-be-discovered talents with an easy P.R. environment and free publicity. A chance at public recognition."

"So, you're going to focus on one particular person? Or you put your faith in the no-pet work policy?"

" Oh no, no. I'm the no-pet type. To me, all these musicians are equals. Whatever their age and their status, the amount of work and the efforts they've put in the thing levels them all in. Then, of course, there's talent. Some have what it takes, some have less.

The topic is dear to me for another reason. You see, Master classes are such a great and simple way for the average 'musically uninitiated' layman – or laywoman – to get into direct and true contact with classical music. To discover its real essence; undefiled, without the hollow and overly pedantic supposedly high-brow blabber-talk; unabashed, without the debasing condescension and haughty stares; spared, without the pretentious pomp and pretended reverence. Just the music, unadulterated, unadorned, pure, true. Naked. And just the people and their hearts all laid bare to receive it. The one deserves to be heard and listened to. That's why it was created in the first place. The others deserve the music because their mere presence keeps it alive. The one without the others would die. As for us, well, without Music, its honest beauty, its naked truth, we may not totally die but we might not either be really alive. We'd just survive."

How amazing, and yet, not half so surprising. Once again I could but agree with her vision. My eight-year-old self had discovered classical music at precisely this type of venue. Apparently Master classes – or jam sessions – do tend to steal your heart one way or the other. My parents wanted their son to grow up an open-minded adult, with enough of his former childlike self in him to remain ever curious of all things. So, I had been taken there to experience yet another 'something new'. Well, I had discovered all-right, experienced fully, fallen in love irrevocably and embraced classical Music with an everlasting passion. Soon after, I had been taking my first piano lessons and I've kept playing ever since. To this day the sentiment has never failed me... But it had failed Tanya. With a vengeance.

Last year, I had taken her to that other master-class with all of my parents' humanist notions dancing their happy powwow dance at the back of my mind: sharing and giving and getting to know what we don't yet know, and accepting. I was totally wrapped up in the concept that I was passing on and giving back a portion of that priceless thing – literally – that had been given to me freely, that portion that would always have to be the gift, simply because it was never meant to be owned. I was so smitten with the idea of perpetuating a sort of tradition that I was already caught up in parallel perspectives, anticipating... Having worked myself up over this, to the point of nearly growing wings, I was no match to the music, which had come to me with the force of a tidal wave. _Never fight the music_. I had blissfully surrendered. Mind, Body and Heart all reconciled in the wilful defeat of the soul.

On her totally different page, Tanya could have written in red screaming-bloody-murder letters: I hate it!. And she had – _Fucked-up much, then Eddie-Boy? – _hated apparently every minute of it. I could still remember her telling me how ''bored to death'' _she_ had been all the time while _I_ had felt so moved and overwhelmed. _Sigh! _So much for the sharing. I should have made sure, as a minimum prerequisite that Tanya and I shared the same plane of existence in the first place.

" When are your next lessons scheduled?" Emmett asked Bella.

" On Mondays and Fridays. Why?"

"Sandy just can't wait to go again. 'Think she quite likes you already. Another Bella fan . Ah, ah, ah!"

"What? What lessons ?" Alice cut in.

"You never pay attention, do you? " I commented with a snigger. "Don't you remember? Bella is an assistant to a dance teacher. She said it herself last time."

_You did have to open it, didn't you?_

I flogged myself at the same time as I caught in my peripheral vision the sudden movement of Bella's head whipping around at the sound of my voice. She stared at me, jaw gaping and eyes wide with surprise, utterly stunned, in apparent shock. She blinked a couple of times, turned to Doc with a silent question in her quick glance, and locked her eyes back onto me …

" Oh, Of course! I remember, now." Alice said. "Would you allow us to come and see you at work?"

Alice was literally bobbing with excitement and anticipation. I had a hard time silencing my laugh. She looked so like some over-energetic puppy. And Bella's eyes met mine...

_Pierced … arrows … move ... breathe … can't!_

… _think ..._

_._

… _takes m'breath away …_

– _punctured lung? – _

_._

… _Bella ..._

_._

_*Gasp!*_

_._

_Blink *_-_* Blink_

_._

_Succubus?_

"...Yes, I suppose...

_No! No-no-no-no-no, she can't be, now... can she ? _

… if you want...

_Huh?... *Blink... =] _

… provided I don't get distracted...

_Obviously, _I_ can't handle that..._

... and I manage to keep concentrated...

_That's the key! FOCUS, Edward ! _

As long as you don't get too bored...

_Not a chance. At all._

...t'should be okay...

_You sure of that?_

But you don't have to..."

_Hmm? To what, Bella? _

"Awesome!"

That would be Alice. The word ended in a high-pitched squeal. Why did girls just have to screech like banshees when excited?

– _Wait, you think B. ...? – Stop! … Don't even think of it, you filthy perv!_

" Bella, I'm so excited!

_Well, figures!_

I just can't wait to see you in action."

_Beat you to that one, Sis!_

– _Although ... – Grrrrrowl! –_

"I can't really see why, you know." Bella dead-panned, clueless.

… _it all depends on the definition of notions... – No-no-no-no-no, DON'T. DO. THIS! – _

…_who performs what '_action'_ – Savage SNARRRRRL – _

… _and who is there to wat... – AAAAARRRGH! _

_Oh, bite me! _

I could use some bleach now.

_Please, let me die. Now._

We – _they – _went on chatting – _while I tried to follow – _until it was time to leave. Out of some uncalled-for chivalrous notion, Doc volunteered to escort Bella back to her place. He didn't even ask Emmett or myself. Now, come on ! A teacher! Walking one of his lovely female students home after dark! What was he thinking of? To my greatest relief, Bella turned his offer down, claiming that she could take care of herself, that she was used to it.

After that nothing would have had me relax, until Alice jumped in and settled the question.

"We're walking with you. It's on our way, anyway."

Bella smiled and accepted.

After we had parted from the rest of the group and Bella was left with us, she suddenly realized that Alice and I were sister and brother. I had to laugh. The look on her face when shock finally reached it! It was priceless.

"Of course." She breathed.

_Cryptic much, that. **Of course** what? _

_Could be __**Of course!**__ as in :"OF COURSE ! Here she is again, the quizzical, and most aggravating angevilic little girl-woman-thing going all a-witchy and sibyline. Again!"_

_Or **Of course!** as in "And OF COURSE! Here is Pansy-Edward Scatterbrains destabilised again,_

_going all crackpot a-nutty, wobbly and teetery, high on Belladone big time and totally Bella-undone; one day your average nice Jeckyl-decent likeable brand of guy, the next, your freakier than average newly-spawned Shadow-Boy a la Hyde, an unlikely foul twin, and vilest night stalker on a scent, a most improbable and un-whatever newborn perv with an unparalleled obsession for all things Bells."_

_Now, what do you say? _

"_OF COURSE, that weak and wretched guy, that tempest tossed disoriented soul, that weather-vane WOULD turn every which way the crafty witch-girl thing would care to blow her wuthering wind. 'OF COURSE' that pathetic puppet pitifully penduling on patented inescapable Bella homespun strings, WOULD ...well, … OF COURSE! Again, THAT would be me. _

_And OF COURSE, I would always be right there. With HER – or not very far around. For HER. _

_O**f course**, indeed..._

_Because of HER. _

_For she was at the other end of the magical thralls, or chains, or strings, reins? Leash? – whatever bond – that held captive the new eager-vampire side of me. _

_How could she be so surprised? She shouldn't. But she would, **of course! **SHE had that power over me. Yet, she wouldn't know. She didn't see herself clearly. _

_**'Of course!'**..._

_She really shouldn't have said that..._

...

Meanwhile, Bella and I went side by side, in silence _(A relative thing. My head was Pandemonium)_. Alice was ahead of us as she had been walking faster. All of a sudden, hardly stopping, she one-eightied on her heels, retraced her steps briskly and was with us again in the blinking of an eye.

"Bella, what's your full name?" She asked out of nowhere.

"Isabella Marie Swan."

Isabella and I offered no comment. Though we were anxious to know the whys, our curious pair knew better than to ask. Alice would explain. Or throw us a clue. Or, not unlikely either, some highly symbolic bone.

"Isabella. Mmm... that's cute." The Sphinx mused leisurely. "Do you want to come and sleep over at our place tonight?"

Now, where did that cranky idea of hers come from? For Heaven's sake, or that of any other alien place only Alice knew of, what had come over the silly girl's head just now? _Come on, Alice! Where's that massive meteor?_

"Mary Alice Cullen, how dare you allow yourself the right to invite people at our place for spur-of-the-moment sleepovers on a whim? And I'm saying nothing of the parents. _Or of Tanya_. They're gonna be furious. _Indeed._

Tanya will be demanding some explanation. In all the years we'd been together, she had never slept over at my house. Ever. Not even once. Alice had never prompted it.

"Now _you_, Edward Anthony Cullen! How dare _you_ talk to me like that? What makes you think _you_ have the right? I'm not a child to be chided. Bella is _my _friend and you're not my father. What business of yours is it anyway? We're having a pyjama party and she's gonna be staying in my room."

_That_ was not the real problem. Although,... the pyjama bit, in association with the new Bella-and-I-sleeping-in-the-same-house concept did do strange things to my brain. Very visually dyn... _NO! FOCUS! Edward, for f...your sanity...'s sake. _

So I went on, trying to reason Alice out of it:

"Come on, Alice, you just can't act like that, without thinking of the others."

"_You_ can't tell me what _I _can or cannot do!"

_Stubborn imp! Was she going to throw a temper tantrum, now? _

As piggy-head Alice and I went on arguing, Bella stepped in the game.

"Don't you two fight! I can stay at my place. That would save everyone the bother."

_Well said! That's my referee!_

Though, actually, SHE was not what really bothered me. Yet, I could tell the game was still on. There was something coming up. Some wicked curve ball Alice had kept in store for me.

_So not good!_

" Bella, I asked you because I wanted to. I meant it." She said.

" What about me, then?" I snapped. "Tell me, Miss Mastermind, where do I stand in your let's-take-over-the-night great plan? You two are going to talk your heads – and mine! – off and laugh all night like epileptic hyenas in a fit, right on the other side of _my_ wall. I need my sleep. In case you don't know – not that you care, obviously – I really have to get up early tomorrow morning."

"And so have I, actually." Bella rejoined. "I've got to be in class at 8 am. And I've got no spare clothes with me, anyway..."

"Good. One more reason against keeping me awake all night." I huffed.

"I had no intention to impose my presence in the first place." She spat.

Stupefied I suddenly realised that Tanya would never have allowed things to go this far. She would have taken it very badly that I dared talk to her like that. I also registered the troubling fact that in the heat of the moment Bella and I had closed the distance between us, and that now our faces stood only miserly inches apart. So very nearly touching..._(Stupefix!)_ At such close range, I could very clearly see that Bella did not look offended. But a kind of fire was smouldering in her eyes. Was it only common anger? Really strange. In the same situation, Tanya would have already left. Without a word.

Alice, all back-to-the-Plan and logistics, put an end to my moment. The girl meant business! _But didn't she always?_

"Okay, Bella, listen. We're going to your house. You grab the things you need, and we all go together to our place. Eddie, we're not going to make too much noise. You will not hear us at all. I promise. So now, shall we?"

"Off we go then. But Alice, stop calling me that."

She knew very well that I found that stupid nickname aggravating. Only Tanya used to call me that, and that in itself was enough to say it all.

"Eddie? That's kinda cute."

_Bella_...

She had spoken so quietly. And now, of course, her eyes were on her shoes. Heaven knew how much I hated that nickname, but in her mouth it had sounded new. Suddenly, it had acquired such...gentle...undertones. I stood gaping, helpless.

_Please. Say it. Again_ …

…

_Uh?_

_Oh, nooooo... _

What was I thinking of again?Would that 'thing' ever stop now?

Once at Bella's, while she was packing an overnight bag, Alice settled down on the couch and started softly humming to herself. I sat down at her side and broached the subject again.

"Alice, you're going overboard with this. As always."

"Why do you think that?"

"Well, at the very least, you could have told the parents first."

"I have. They're okay."

_How did she always do that?_

"What about her? Don't you think you're taking it a bit too far too quickly? This kind of things usually require some planning ahead."

"I don't think she resents it. Edward, I don't like knowing that she's sleeping alone in a big empty house. I really like her, you know."

"I know. And I understand. I do like her too. But that's no reason why one should forget about manners."

_Hmm... Had I just said that I liked her?_

– _Interesting... –_

_Oh, shut up!_

At that moment, Bella came flying down the stairs. I went to her and took her bag. _Wow! How could she harness her slender shoulder with this thing without massively damaging her back?_ She left a note on the fridge and joined us. As she was bolting the door, her face wore the strangest expression. A mixture of sadness and..._Was it... merriment_?

* * *

**So, Lovely Reader, ready for another nightly stroll and a PJ party at Edward's?**

**What should I say? Read on?**

**Thanks for sticking with us so far.**

**Blue.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:**

_**Disclaimer **: I own copies of the Twilight Saga Books, sadly though, not their copy rights :'(_

[1] _**Why Harry?** I happened to be thinking of Harry Potter at that moment._

* * *

**BlueNote:**

_**Disclaimer:**__Twilight, Edward, Bella: nobody's but HERS exclusively. This particular story: not mine either but Kaori's. The English word and the rhymes: mine. _

Translation: all Blue.

**In the name of the two crafty story-spinning writing witches already mentioned, enjoy .**

* * *

**Elle: Starry, Starry Night**

**Chapter 8: For I Heard Her Call and I Was...**

[Song] _Love Song__ by The Hansons ._

We reached our destination soon. Bella was deep in her thoughts and nearly bumped into me when I stopped. Well, that is, Bella _would_ have bumped into me _if_ I had not turned around and extended my arms in a reflex to protect her from the collision – er... actually, to protect _myself _from the collision. She had to blink a couple of times before her eyes, which had been blind a minute before, could focus. On me. And on my hands. On her. I was holding her by her shoulders, and should anyone have seen us at that very moment, there's no way they wouldn't have entertained the fancy idea that we were a couple on the verge of kissing. I took my hands off her precipitously. Blushing, she blurted:

"I'm sorry. I should have paid more attention".

"That's okay. No blood, no foul." I said reassuringly.

_Why would she automatically take on the blame?_

"Bella, don't fret. It's nothing." I insisted. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"Er...no, er... I didn't. Thanks Edward". She said under her breath, her words almost inaudible.

"You're welcome._ Pleasure was mine. _We're arrived."

I opened the door and Alice stormed in, shouting at the top of her voice.

"Mum! Dad! We're here."

"Come on, now, children. Quiet! We're not that deaf yet." Our mother replied, greeting us with a warm smile.

"Mum, this is Bella. Bella, our mother, Esme." Alice proceeded in one breath.

"Pleased to meet you, Madam"

"Pleased to meet you, too, Bella. But call me Esme. I'm asking it as a favour. It sounds older than I am, being called 'Madam'."

"Okay, then, Esme. Thanks for welcoming me here so impromptu."

"Ah ah ah! Don't you worry about that. We're used to it. I should have liked you to meet my husband, Carlisle, but he is working late tonight. You'll certainly have a chance to see him in the morning, though."

"Mum, we're showing Bella around the house now, and then we'll be upstairs."

"Okay, but, Alice, please, don't be so loud!"

"Okay, okay."

Alice grabbed Bella by the hand and tugged her in her wake. I did my best to follow, curious now to know what Bella would say about our home. She discretely took in the interior decoration, unaware of the fact that I kept my eyes riveted to her all the time. Her obvious astonishment amused me, and I took it upon myself to give her a complete tour of every single room in the house. At some point, we were standing in my bedroom when Alice burst in and snatched Bella away, whirling her to her own room. I deeply breathed in the last lingering whiff of her perfume before it vanished. It smelt of lilies-of-the-valley, and berries, raspberry particularly, of Summer and night-time. I could have spent forever breathing in Bella's scent. Suddenly I felt like going out in the garden. It would be fine to settle on a reclining chair; and it would feel good there, to spend some time and gaze up at the sky. It would feel right. And just like that, my mind was drifting off. That is until it was stopped in mid-flight when my phone chose to go off.

The number showing on the screen was Tanya's. I instantly felt guilty. And I couldn't quite explain why. The feeling was nagging and uncomfortable, and its apparent absence of grounds, annoying at best. So when I answered, it was in a low and wary voice.

"Allo, Tanya?"

_You idiot! Who else could it be, now? Of course it would be her. That's her number on the bloody screaming screen. Stupid! Moron! Jackass! _

Fortunately, Tanya – as it happened to be her all-right – didn't seem to notice my uneasiness.

"Hey, Eddie. I'm so happy to hear you. I must talk to you about something."

"uh-uh..."

Most likely an umpteenth excursion with her friends, or something along the same line. For some time now, I had grown quite indifferent to her calls – or rather to what they were about – and I had become totally impervious to her enthusiasm. Though I could remember how catching it had been when she was at my side – I could never resist it – now, I could no longer rejoin in her happy moods. They were usually met with only cool detachment and insensitive aloofness on my part.

_Oh now, come on! That's just normal. That's no more than what was to be expected. How could it be otherwise? Your girlfriend is just hundreds of miles away from you now. At least, you should be happy she has friends over there. What did you expect? You thought she would pine away for you? You know she's not like you. C'mon, Boy! It's just a bad phase. Every couple has to go through this shit one day or another. Stop making a fool of yourself!_

I managed to regain some measure of self-control, so I could pull a decent act on my end of the conversation, while letting the now familiar mantra fill my head:_ 'Pretend it is interesting. Pretend it is interesting. Pretend it is...' _

"Is that so? What's up?"

"You, know, I've been here for a few months, now..."

"You have. ..."

I couldn't see where she was heading to. I thought that I might have a clue, though. Maybe I was even onto some idea, but I needed her to confirm it herself.

" … and long distance relationships, well, that's just not for me."

_Good! _This being together not together was beginning to feel like a stranglehold. It was stifling and I was seriously choking. But now, now that she had said the words, at last, I could breathe again. And so, I took the deepest intake of air in a long time, filling up my lungs and all my body, my head and my chest with its beautiful lightness, and let the swelling heart voice in one question the wish and the hope that had kept it beating all along:

"So, you're coming back?"

"No, you don't understand. I love my new life here, and I have some fantastic friends. But, Eddie, seriously, we have to face the facts..."

_What? No! She couldn't be... Surely, not...?_

"What are you trying to tell me, Tanya?"

"Eddie,... it's best if we break up. Definitely."

"What? Wait-wait-wait, Tanya... You can't be serious! You can't do this to me! Not after all we've had together! I..."

I turned my voice down when I heard footsteps in the corridor. _So much for the guy who preached for discretion! _

I took a deep breath. _Be honest, Edward! If only for your sake._ Yes, somewhere along the line I had managed to put up with the facts, but in utter foolishness, I had always refused to acknowledge them. Tanya was not the kind of girl able to maintain a relationship across the distance. She needed things to be concrete. And apparently, I was no longer concrete enough for her. Sick at heart, I could find nothing to add.

"Listen, Eddie, I should have told you long ago. But I must be honest with you, now. You see, there's someone else."

"Ah!..."

_'Ah!'_ indeed... Right then, I could think of a fairly decent variety of curses, but I said nothing. Where was the point? I couldn't find the energy to shout or even speak. There was nothing left to support me. I had done everything for her. I had given her my heart, my body and my soul. I had defended her against my own family. For her sake, I had very nearly broken off communications with them...I had done it all for her...I even wanted to marry the girl, for fuck's sake! And all that fuss for what result in the end? Nothing.

"I really thought I would be able to keep it going over the phone and with the emails, but now, I realise I need more. I can't go on like that. And Harry is important to me [1]. Very important. Eddie, I'm in love with him. I 'm so sorry to break the news to you like that, but...

"Cut the crap, now, Tanya. I don't want to hear you any more."

I hung up abruptly. I was dumbfounded. That she should have the nerve to mention that Harry to me... As if it were only too natural. Simply baffling! _Harry! What kind of name is that anyway? Who's he? _ Did it matter? I didn't want to know about him. I didn't ask her anything. Shit!

She didn't try to call back right-away and I sighed in relief. Again, I shouldn't be so surprised. Somehow I had seen this coming, but I had preferred to ignore the hard facts and chosen to remain blissfully blind to harsh reality. Yet it had never ceased to nag me, hinting all the time that there was a good chance it should happen. Well, it had. Just happened. And now that it was finally staring me square in the eye, I kept... – _Dugh!_ I had even lost the ability to express myself in coherent words! – I was at a complete loss. I felt useless. And I was like petrified: as still and cold and numb as the marble flesh of those recumbent statues in their crypts, even less alive and feeling then the peacefully resting fellows. Well,_ they_ were in peace whereas _I_ merely lay in pieces. Broken. Completely out of joints.

Yet, meanwhile, the world had not halted in its course. Time had not stopped. How extraordinary! How come?

_... How aggraVATING! _

Despite Alice's promise, I _could_ very clearly hear the peals of laughter emitted by the two hyenas who currently occupied the den on the other side of the partition. _Why did girls just had to do that..._ – _Stop! Edward, stop! You already asked that question. _

So I got up without a second thought and went over there to see what all the ruckus was about. But I stopped at Alice's door. She had just asked Bella if she had a boyfriend, and her melodious voice was very clear as it found my ears:

"No, we've moved houses so often that I have never had time to really bond. In fact, my parents are actually just settling here, well, so to speak."

At least, _she_ had been spared the pangs of disappointment. _No boyfriend, no foul. Problem solved._ Why should this piece of news make me so happy? And suddenly why should I feel so exclusive? _Well, figures..._

"So you won't go away any more, now? "

"Nope. I think I'm here to stay a long time."

And then she laughed. And Oh! Her tinkerbell laughter chimed, and charmed my ears as it jingled over me and fell, shimmering, in rippling curtains of diamond dew, glistening, in ever dripping jewel drops of many hues, sparkling, like rains of shining shooting stars and moons, falling over me and all around, like a gift of precious gems and pearls for me to find and – in secret – treasure, for the gift was never given, nor really found for that matter, just taken and made mine.

_Edward?_

_Ugh? _

Wow! What was that?_ – Drifting much, ugh? – _ Perhaps. But these momentary lapses of... conscience? Reason?... grip most definitely were getting really weird.

_Yep, didn't sound like a laughing hyena to me, or did it, now? Of course, what would I know ..._

Meanwhile, the girls went on:

"So how come there were nobody around at your place tonight when we popped in?"

"They are still travelling. They can stay away for quite long, actually. Sometimes up to six months. But they're happy that way and that's all that matters."

This offered me a glimpse of one aspect of a character: she was selfless. Her own happiness ranked far down her list of priorities, well after the others' well-being. This realisation overthrew me.

"What about you, then? Where do you stand? Don't you get lonely?"

_That's my girl! Excellent question, Alice!_

"Oh, I've got used to it long ago. Ahahah !"

No funny chimes or rhyming in my head, this time. – _Good! – _ Yet, Bella's laugh, now was very different too. To me, it sounded hollow, like feigned. Something in it was off. If I could hear the difference, then everybody could. And just so, I could tell that Bella was certainly not a very good liar.

"Well, at least, nobody can force a curfew on you! That'd be a pro, wouldn't it?"

The mood had abated, and Alice was trying to cheer it up again. Apparently, she met some success, as Bella offered a half-smile when she rejoined:

"Yeah! I don't need anyone. I'm a strong, independent woman! Ahahah..."

She stopped, in mid-laugh as she finally saw me standing there, on the threshold. Instantly I felt terrible for having so rudely eavesdropped on them. Aggravated with myself more than anything else, I shouted out the first think that I could think of on the spur of the moment, and made my exit – or retreat –, rushing – or rather fleeing – out of the room, feeling more miserably ashamed than I had ever, ever felt ever, but still managing somehow, amid the chaos in my head, to remember to slam the door behind me for good measure – when you've started putting on an act, no use downplaying the thing; make it thorough – even if it meant a real good strip would be torn off my hide the next day. I could already play the scene in my head: my mother and my sister, talons at the ready, would league up against son and brother to make it quite clear to me that according to the Cullens's book of manners, these were no ways of treating a guest while under their roof.

"AREN'T YOU FINISHED MAKING YOUR RACKET, YET? THERE ARE SOME WHO'RE WORKING HERE!"

Well, of course, I had lied about the work bit there, but in the crisis of the moment, I couldn't come up with any better idea. Now, I was lying on my bed, just as I had done a thousand other times before, and was already thinking up the best way to apologise to Bella – and collaterally, to Alice and Esme – when suddenly _she _was in my room. And so very quietly, in a voice so carefully controlled that it went all shady and husky with the strain – and that, incredibly, was very, very nearly the next best thing to sexy – she addressed me:

"You do know that there was no need for you to yell at us the way you did tonight. We may have laughed a bit too loud, but you're the one to talk, Mr I-Talk-Loud-On-The-Phone! If you want people to abide by your admonitions, just try and heed them yourself first next time."

With that, she turned her back on me and marched out of my room. She never let me talk! But before she walked out of my sight, dignified and queenly, I just had the time to catch a glimpse of the tiny smile that was already tugging at the corner of her lips.

Somehow, that shadow of her smile chose to remain behind with me. It found a nook at the back of my mind where it nestled and waited patiently. And then, much later on that night, the smile that had been waiting patiently, quietly came to me. It left the shadows and its nook at the back of my mind to find its way into my dreams, where now, it quietly started haunting me...

* * *

**Thanks for staying the night for the read-over at our place. **

**See you in the morning?**

**Blue. **


	10. EXTRA

**Author's Notes**_  
The following is not a chapter but a separate self-sufficient EXTRA. The original in French was posted the day after Michael Jackson died, at only 50. Though I was no Jackson fan, the man was an icon and some of his songs have a meaning for me. As a tribute to the King of Pop, I'm offering you free of charge a little interlude dedicated to the relationship of CARLISLE AND ESME._ **  
Disclaimer****: **I own copies of the Twilight Saga books … but not the copy rights. ;)

* * *

**BlueNote:** Translation: Bluelinote  
In some OCC AU I would have written Twilight and I would be the quill-mother of this Carlisle and this Esme. In this dimension, though, and probably for the best, my name is neither Stephenie nor Kaori. In their name, enjoy.

* * *

**ELLE: STARRY, STARRY NIGHT  
**

**-EXTRA-**

… **Met by Grace ...**

[Song] _Heal the World__ by Michael Jackson._

**[ESME'S POV]**

"Esme, darling, wake up! It's 7 a.m. already."

Oh, no! Not yet..

"Mmmm! Okay, Mum. Give me a minute." I groaned, burying my face deeper into the pillow.

"Sorry, love, but you're already running much too late. You don't want to miss your first day back to school, do you?"

I gave no answer, just waiting for my mother to leave my room, allowing me a few extra minutes of reprieve.

"Okay, you have five more minutes. Past that deadline, I'll have to get you out of that bed with a bucketful of water. You got me?"

When the door closed behind her, I did not move. Though I had not yet opened my eyes, I knew the sun was flooding in through the window. I could feel its rays on the naked skin of my arm, and their heat kept me from going back to sleep. Finally, I blinked and gradually adjusted to the light. I could see that the sky was clear. Not a cloud would come on the horizon of this day. Perhaps this was a sign. Perhaps I would be healthy again. Perhaps I would get my life back. A normal life.

I had been living with leukemia since I was little. 'Chronic Myeloid Leukemia' as my doctors called it. It made me a frequent visitor at the hospital, and I'm not mentioning the visits to the specialists' and blood-testing labs. From as long as I could remember, I had been having my meals along with multifarious medicines and my arms had always been marked with myriad syringe punctures. My parents, my mother above all, would worry themselves sick the moment I put my nose outside the house and whenever I fell, you would have thought it was the end of the world for them. They would fly into such a panic.

Today was a special day. I was entering the hospital to get operated on. After something like a decade spent waiting, they were going to do an allogenic marrow graft on me. Don't ask me what it is. I've heard so much medical jargon so far – enough to last me a whole lifetime – that I don't even bother any more to try and understand it. Nothing mattered outside the fact that this operation should be the best solution for me.

They expected me at 8:30 but everybody knew that all the admissions at the hospital were done at the same time. Even if we arrived there at the appointed time, we would still be kept waiting for an hour at the very least before we could rally the room I'd be allotted.

I prepared my things, had my breakfast in no time and we were off on the road. I mused away, while abstract-mindedly watching the landscape go by out the window. It was my way of escaping. I imagined myself living a normal life, having children, a family. I tried to picture the face my husband would have, his smile, the tone of his voice. But above all, in that very instant, I promised myself, that should the operation be successful, I would make the most of my life. I would do everything to live it to the fullest, until I was old and I could die without regrets.

We reached our destination without incident. As I had expected, an endless line of people was stretching from the admission desk. My mother took her place in it while I aimlessly roamed the corridors that branched off the entrance hall. I turned a corner, and bumped hard into somebody.

Surprised and wincing from the pain, I looked up. His face, both youthful and grave, came as an immediate shock. The man was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I melted under the stare of his blue eyes. Lightning struck. And I was the one who did not believe in love at first glance. Except that he wore a white coat. And I loathed everything that reminded me of this place. I stepped back, horror-stricken, tripped on my feet and falling hard, find myself with a sore bottom the next second.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I had not seen you. Are you okay? How's your head? Does it hurt?"

His velvet voice rang like a chime in my mind. It reminded me of the jingling you can hear upon pushing the door in stores. For an instant, it felt as if I was caught in a whirlwind and … then...

nothing...

…

When I came to, I was lying on the floor, and he was holding me in his arms. My mother was beside him but I paid no attention to her. I was focussing it all on the feel of him. Worry lined his face, but I could also make out something else there, though what it was exactly escaped me. He lifted a lock of my hair off my face before tucking it away behind my ear and he smiled to me.

"Esme, are you back with us?"

"Yes, I think so. Wh-what happened?" I stuttered with difficulty, while trying to get back on my feet, in vain.

"You fainted. You must have sustained some concussion when we collided."

"Esme Anne Platt, don't you ever give me such a fright again! My mother cut in before going on. "Why did you wander off like that? If that nice doctor had not been there who knows what would have become of you!"

"Mum, I'm sorry. I was just trying to distract my mind, trying to thing of something else..."

"Well, that is done, now. Honestly, what were you thinking of? Please, excuse my daughter, Dr...Cullen. She won't bother you any longer."

"Actually, I'm not a doctor yet. I'm still a house doctor for the moment. But don't worry Esme has been no bother at all. Not the least bother in the world."

"Ahah! You're so charming. Esme, can you walk, now? Let's go, then. We can go up to your room. See you next time, Doctor Cullen."

She grabbed hold of my arm and lead us away briskly. I was lost to everything. I could still feel the tingles where his hand had been. I relished the feel of them on my skin, wrapped up in the memory of my flesh, just as I had been only minutes before in his arms. Carlisle...I had read his name on the hospital badge. Carlisle Cullen. In the deepest of my being, a resolution built up. If the operation was a success, I would do whatever it took to see him again. Without hesitation. I would not waver on the threshold of my new normal life.

Well, it happened that that life begged to begin even sooner. He came to see me after visiting time.

"Hey, Esme. Are you okay?"

"Yes, but... What are you doing here? You're not my doctor."

I was more than surprised by his presence in my room while all the time my heart was simply swelling with happiness. It radiated throughout my whole body. He must have misunderstood my words because suddenly he looked hurt and I immediately felt guilty.

"No, it's not what I meant. I'm glad you're here and..."

"It's okay." He interrupted me.

I remained silent. Blushing with shame and at a loss for words.

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right. When somebody faint into my arms there's nothing surprising in that I should want some news, is there?"

I let out an embarrassed laugh.

"I'm sorry,..."

"Nonsense. Don't apologize. You're ill. You must concentrate on yourself."

"If the doctor says so..." I said, trying to shake off the awkward atmosphere.

He chuckled.

Yet, my previous cheerful mood was now replaced by a more sullen state of mind. Even though I pretended the contrary to my parents to reassure them, being here, all alone in this alien hospital room, was wearing me down. Here I felt lonelier than ever.

"Is something the matter?"

"No." I answered unconvincingly.

"Esme, you can talk to me. I may not be a doctor yet, but I'm good at listening. I'm worrying about you."

"Thank, Doctor."

"No. No 'Doctor'. Just Carlisle."

My lips stretched into a smile. An answer to his. The atmosphere changed and we remained that way for a moment. Just smiling. Just gazing into each other's eyes. Then I came back to reality.

"Thank you … Carlisle."

Saying his name filled me with elation. Carlisle...Carlisle...I could have spent hours saying his name again and again and again, savouring the fullness of the liquid sounds in my mouth, bathing in the lush swelling of the wave rolling over my tongue, relishing its luscious contortions as it wrapped around the syllables and lapped at their richness.

"My pleasure, Esme. I must go back to my department, now, but if you have a problem, whatever it is, have me called. I leave my pager number here, okay?"

"Okay."

"Take care, Esme. Have a good night."

"Goodnight Carlisle."

With these words, he walked noiselessly out of my room. I sank into my bed and took a deep breath. Had this conversation even been real? Or had I just dreamed it?

He was for real. Because, he came again the next day to wish me luck before my operation, and afterwards, he was the first face I saw when I woke up and found myself back into my room. He was leaning over the edge of my bed, and he was smiling to me. I tried to smile in response, but I was still rather groggy from the anesthetics. I vaguely heard him talk to me before he disappeared again. He swiftly walked away and I sank back into sleep.

Weeks went by in a flash. Winter followed Fall and already the hallways were being decked with Christmas decorations. He would come and visit me every day, every evening. And we would talk. About everything and nothing. And we would laugh. A lot. At first, I had thought he was doing this out of his sense of duty, answering the call of his conscience, but soon, I had come to wonder whether he might... But our talks never once strayed in _that_ direction, and I felt content with the simple delight I took in the moments spent in his company. Our relationship became more casual and the easy closeness made my days.

Finally, I could go back home. On the Day I was to be released he looked cheerful but his countenance was grave as he walked in over the threshold of my room.

"Good morning, Esme. How are you? Pleased to be out soon?"

"Oh, yes. You have no idea. I miss my own bed. But..."

"Yes...?"

Should I go for it? I had promised myself that I would declare to him, but wasn't it out of place? Against the rules? Within me, fear had opened the gates to uncertainty and self-doubt.

He locked his eyes to mine and called my name.

"Esme?"

"Carlisle, why did you come visit me so often?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it was a problem to you and..."

"No, it was not. Don't worry. I just wanted to know."

"Did it worry you so much?"

Then he looked overcome, and I hated it. I would have given everything to take the agony off his face.

"No. In fact, I was very happy with it." I quietly stated.

"Ah?"

His face lit up and he stared at me.

"Yes. Really. Actually, Carlisle, I..."

"Esme, I..."

We stopped before laughing nervously.

"You go first."

"No, ladies first."

"I give you my turn with pleasure."

He wavered and then suddenly decided to go for it:

"Do you think we could... see each other? I mean, outside. Not here?"

I didn't answer right away. All this seemed so unreal! Was it a dream? I pinched myself to make sure and saw that Carlisle was really there, apprehensively waiting for an answer. That's when I took his hand into mine.

"I want it, too. As soon as possible."

Our first date took place on Christmas Eve. As he had lost both his parents, mine had invited him over at our place for the Christmas dinner.

We shared our first kiss under the Tree in the middle of the town square with fireworks crackling and blooming over our united heads.

We got married soon after. Carlisle had wanted to do everything according to the rules. He had obtained my father's and then my mother's blessings.

Our wedding was held in the strictest intimacy. It was by no means grand but it was perfect. I loved him. He loved me. We loved each other and that was all that mattered. No matter that he was still in his studies. No matter that I was just out of high school. Our union was just destined to be. I was now Esme Anne Cullen. And this woman I was now, was so happy, and so proud to have such a husband as Carlisle.

Our first years were difficult in so far as Carlisle was often absent from the house. But when we were together again, the void vanished. I had chosen for a husband a man who was wholeheartedly dedicated to the others. It was part of him. It was what made him the extraordinary human being he was and whom I loved. I could not take it away without losing the man he was.

When he passed his doctorate, he had more time for me and after having traveled the United States for a few months, we came back to Seattle where we settled. He found a position in a renowned hospital and made a name for himself in the milieu. I got pregnant a few months later. We greeted Edward into our lives with immense joy. He made us a family. Carlisle had worried about a possible resurgence of my leukemia in his genes, but he was perfect and perfectly healthy. I cried my eyes out with relief. Could such untainted bliss be real? Edward had made my dreams come true.

Alice followed fast after him. I gave up work temporarily to look after my two wonders and make the most of every minute spent with them.

When we reached the end of the remission phase, Carlisle and I took in my latest results with a joy even more intense, if that was possible, than when our children were born. At long last, I was cured. We told my parents. They jumped out for joy and celebrated this best news of our lives by keeping their grand-children overnight while Carlisle and I had our own celebration. He took me to a fancy restaurant for dinner and we made love all night long after that. We fell asleep as dawn was breaking, satisfied and at peace. Life was in front of us, waiting to be lived.

"Mum, I'm going out. Tanya is waiting for me at the mall."

"Be careful, Edward."

" Sure will, Mum. And don't forget to take your medicine at 4pm, okay? If you don't, I'll tell Dad."

I rolled my eyes. He was his father's spitting image. The same ingenuous air about his face, and that small smile of his, which made me melt each time he smiled it. Yet, I knew that behind the mask of the apparent gaiety, Edward was not happy. I also knew that Tanya was the cause of his unhappiness. She was not the girl for him. However, I never voiced my opinion, hoping that my son would realize soon that she was not worthy of him. No, indeed, I didn't like that Tanya much, but how was one supposed to confront her teenage boy, uh? I could but pray for him.

"Come on, now, off with you, you unworthy son!"

As soon as he had gone, Alice burst into the kitchen. She planted a kiss on my cheek, and after having fished out a few snacks, returned to her room in one swift whirlwind motion. She had recently started drawing a book of miscellanies and she wanted to be disturbed under no circumstances. Deep inside of me, I knew nonetheless that...

Carlisle rejoined me at last. He had just finished his nap and wanted to enjoy those last minutes of reprieve before going back to work.

"The kids are already gone?"

"No, just Edward. Only to carry a ton load of shopping bag in the wake of Tanya, I suppose."

"Ahah! And Alice?"

"In her room. You know, I find that she is not really happy at the moment. She shouldn't worry so much over her brother. He'll end up regaining some good sense... ultimately.

"I think he will too. He takes after his mother. I'm sure he'll realize that Tanya is not the right person when he does meet his sister soul."

"He also takes after his father. one must admit that he is not too ugly. I'm sure all the girls are just drooling and falling head over heels around him."

" Perhaps. But I have you."

"Carlisle, you're such a dear! How do you manage to make me lose my head each time?"

"I don't know. How do you manage to make me crack up like a high school boy after all these years, uh?"

"We are incorrigible. That must be the power of love."

"And do I love you, Mrs Esme Cullen!"

"Not as much as I love you, Mr Carlisle Cullen."

We settled the debate with a kiss. And we kissed again like we had so often over the past nearly twenty years, now. The feel of his mouth against mine still stirred the same hunger, and the same empty feeling in my stomach, sending my insides flipping and knitting tightly. I would have sworn I could still see those fireworks exploding in loud crackles over our joined head. The magic was still there and that absolute certainty had lived within me ever since the moment we had first met.

"I'd very much like to stay, but..."

"I know. Go and save the world once more, my love."

"Maybe not the world, but a couple of lives would be a good start. See you tonight."

I waved him goodbye before he disappeared. Indeed, being a doctor's wife was not exactly picnic. I could not enjoy the presence of my husband as much as I would have wished nor could the children enjoy that of their father, but wherever he was, I knew that his love sustained me along. I could not honestly deprive his patients of such an angel. He had given me courage when I was trapped within the four walls of a soulless hospital room, he had supported me through my dark days and he had given me his smile, lighting up my stay there with sparkles of joy. In a lifeless hospital room, in which I lay sick and lonely, Carlisle Cullen had been my reason for being, for the simple and pure reason that he was.

* * *

**Bluenote**:  
I know it has been a long time since I last updated this translation. I hope you enjoyed Kaori's version of Esme's bonding, and that you don't resent the lazy BlueBird too much for taking her sweet time in delivering the English word. To earn your forgiveness, I'll post another chapter right... NOW!

Chapter 9 will take you right back to the main plot.

See you then.


	11. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes:**_**  
Disclaimer **: I own copies of the Twilight Saga Books, sadly though, not their copy rights :'(_

[1] Beverley Mitchell_**: **playing the part of Lucy Camden in the "7th Heaven" TV series._  
[4] Eric Carmen:_**"**All by Myself"._

* * *

**BlueNote**_**:  
Disclaimer: **Twilight, Edward, Bella: HERS exclusively. This particular story : Kaori's. The English word: all mine. Obnoxious lines: yeah, that would also be me._

[2] Blue paying homage to **quothme, **author of the heart-wrenching Awake in the Infinite Cold (here at FFn)  
[3] E.A Poe_: "The Raven": 'Darkness there and nothing more.'_  
[5] Elton John_, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"._  
[6]In reference to _"The Blues Brothers" movie, in which Elwood Blues has a hard time seeing the Light._

_**In the name of the Stephenie and Kaori, enjoy.**_

* * *

**ELLE: STARRY, STARRY NIGHT  
**

**Chapter 9: ...Bound to Ride the Rollercoaster Race.**

[Song] _What Am I Doing Here__ by Beverley Mitchell _[1]

While Tanya had just broken up with me, and despite the unusual trickling noise of chuckling laughter that was still coming from two now-giggling girls curled up in a hyena den on their side of my wall, I fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes...

...

… and was lying on the deckchair chair. In the unbroken darkness of the light-less Night. In the whispering silence. Crickets were singing. The light breeze was tickling at my ears. Under the nightly breath the sail of my tee-shirt rippled in soft billows across my chest, and fanned and rested the quiet body that lay there, after the heat and its excesses, at the end of a Summer day in Time. There bathing in the calm I was quenching my thirst at the cool spring of nothingness, and the far-away stars that shone on me seemed to be dancing for my eyes only. And then, the Breeze, breath and helper of the Night, bore a melody on its wings and she gave it to me.

Eager for the gift, I flipped open the faithful spiral-bound notebook to try and record on paper the haunting tune. Alas, I was but a mortal with slow and awkward hands. The notes flowed and sifted through my fingers like elusive grains of sand until at last none was left in the hourglass as the beautiful music fell away to its own end before I could complete the tormenting task at hand. Crazed and bewildered and trembling I collapsed on my knees as panic came rolling over me in great waves of excruciating pain that tore right through my body. Each passing second felt like aeons of timeless agony. My desperate hand now clawed useless fingers at my hair in mock semblance of my endeavour to rack my brains. But however hard I tried to recall the fugitive notes that had escaped me, I could never recapture their exquisite harmony. Anguish now wracked my body whose shaking limbs felt ripped apart. The notes in their flight had wrenched away and ravished my very heart and though I clutched with twitching fingers at the place it used to warm, it felt deserted in the infinite cold [2].

There, on the brink of the chasm. There at the end of time it seemed, and of all things. There in the end, I stood. Still. Blighted. Bereft. For there the heart should throb no more. And there was only Emptiness...and nothing more...[3] Until out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a shadow. A thing pale and shimmering that glided, and seemed to move away in the shadows. Compelled, I turned my body and my eyes to the unexpected being-thing and saw. It was Her. Relief washed over me. This time, she had not vanished and I could lay my mortal eyes on her. She had found me.  
And so, I went to her.

I could say her name this time for I knew it and it was hers.

… _Bella..._

And in speaking that one word, I felt whole. For the word of her name also spelt the name of Hope. Eventually as I was standing behind her, she turned to me and smiled. It felt warm.

And so I reached for her.

For the sake of the deserted place inside my chest which craved the warmth. For the sake of my sanity, which demanded its fair share of reality. And for the sake of me, who missed a heart and longed for what was mine. And still smiling, she just said...

"ALL BY MYSELF  
Don't wanna be  
ALL BY MYSELF  
ANYMOOOOORE" [3]

*blink* _ugh? Wh...? What the f...? Ooh. Noooo!  
No-no-no-no-NO!_

_NO!_

I was pitilessly wrenched out of sleep – and away from my blissful Bella-dream, alas – by Alice's ear-splitting squealing – which she called singing – coming from the kitchen all the way up to my room. A terminal offense, lethal both to musician and dreamer. Attempted murder. But a bad case of failed attempt at singing for a fact. How many times had I told her to give up trying altogether? She never listened – _Well, could the girl only hear in the first place?_ She wouldn't. Her natural joyfulness remained amazingly unshakable. _God, have mercy! _Even with my head buried deep into my pillow, I was unable_(d) _to go back to sleep. I wanted the peace and the silence I had found in the dream. Yet, defeated, I finally shuffled down to the kitchen, only to get dazzle-blinded – _by the liiiii-iigh-iigh-iight _[4] _– _when I saw Bella. She wore but a plain tank top and sweatpants, but their sight was enough to give some wings to a few fancies in my head. And that in itself was shocking and puzzling. Was that supposed to be a normal reaction from someone who had broken with his girlfriend only hours before? Since when had that recent Pervert Shadow-Boy me gotten the best of my usual Nice-Edward sober self ?

Without a word, I poured myself a cup of coffee. Unlike Alice, I was no early riser. Or even waker. Cheerful blabbering in the morning was not my style. Definitely. I was more into saying nothing and brightening up gradually over the passing of a few hours – that is to say a long time – after I had actually woken up. Alice left the kitchen, and Bella and I found ourselves alone together. She kept her nose into her bowl. Then opened her mouth as if to say something. Then closed it again, no syllable uttered. And finally rose, apparently to go and join Alice. Unthinkingly, I grabbed her arm...

"Wait. There's something I've got to tell you."

"Yes,..."

My brain clicked into emergency-thinking mode. _What could I possibly say now?_ My thoughts went back to what had happened the night before and the last time I had seen her.

"I'm sorry for being so rude yesterday."

"And _I_ am sorry for what I said to you. I had no right. It was out of place."

"No, you couldn't have known. So many things are changing around me at the moment...It's just... bewildering."

Why was I telling her that? My problems were none of her business. For God's sake! We had only known each other for the last few days since she had sprung out of nowhere.

"How's that?"

I could not find the right words. All I was capable of was glancing and gazing at her. Which probably made her feel all the more self-conscious.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to seem to pry or anything..."

"No, that's okay. I don't mind. I'm telling you. It's just that... it is so strange to see people around you change. Take Alice for one thing. She never makes friends with people so fast, and here you are in our house, after not even a full week has passed."

And it was definitely not normal for me to confide so easily to anyone. What sort of spell had she cast on us, on me that I even dreamed of her?

"I see..."

After thinking for a moment, she resumed:

"You know, I think that nothing is meant to remain immutably the same. Everything in the world changes, the world itself is changing all the time. Take the weather, for instance. Even if we can now predict it pretty accurately, there is always a certain degree of uncertainty. Room for the unaccountable and the unexpected. The same goes with music. Styles change. And come back sometimes. Who would have placed a bet on the Disco returning on the dance floors? I think everything that happens happens for a reason. Even if at first we don't like much the way things turn, we usually end up quite fine. Well, that's just how I see things..."

"I understand that. But what if you don't want things to change? What if you want everything to remain the way you know them without the unpredictable surprises?"

I hated it when I had no control. At least, when everything is predictable, you can prepare so that you're ready to face whatever is coming at you.

"Then, I guess you'll always be unhappy. Because you'd be going against the turning of the wheel of fortune. Against fate. Learn to accept the fact that you have control over nothing and then you'll see things differently, just because you'll be seeing them from a different vantage point, from a different angle. Believe me."

"Sure... Now, tell me Elwood, how did you come up with that brilliant little theory? How did you get to see the Light"[5]

"Ahahah! Years and years of personal experiencing. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Though I was curious – _desperately eager – _ about that 'experiencing' of hers I did not show it. I would have plenty of time later to get to know her better.

And we laughed. _I laughed?_ It was the first time I had had a real unrestrained laughter with her. It felt good.

And then, just like that, we were talking about everything and nothing, trivia and big issues happily cramming up together in a messy bundle. She also told me a few bits about her childhood. At some point I had to urge her to continue because she had abruptly stopped after a name had escaped her lips. _"_Grâce"_. Finally, she, too, might have endured some hurtful experience, after all. Some painful pang at the hand of fortune. Some wobbly turn of the wheel. _Then as a diversion from the heavy, she had sidetracked us onto the lighter _(!)_ topic of the upcoming election. That, what with our diverging opinions, kept us busy until my sister's return, which brought our heated debate to a most definite but sadly unresolved end as Alice coolly interrupted us in the middle of our respective fiery arguments.

And I had loved it. I had discovered that I liked having that kind of talk with Bella. Because then, her eyes went all sparkly and literally lit up, sending sparks flying everywhere. She had such a fighting spirit in her! I was impressed. Passion burned in Bella. Yes. And a sort of living fire. And it was so very fascinating to watch its heat color her cheeks this lovely shade of red... I realized that with her I did not have to keep myself in check. There was no need for restraint. Contrarily, with Tanya, I always had to be careful and watch my words because whenever I said something she didn't like or didn't want to hear, she used to retreat into her shell and curl up there, out of my reach. But Bella, she understood that I could think differently from her. That kind of change, of the drastic type at that, was pleasant. I felt like I was finally breaking free.

Later, we headed to an art exhibition that Alice was literally dying to visit. It wasn't just a little surprising to see Bella have as much fun as my sister, if not more. With her, there was always something to discover, about her and around. She found an interest in everything and so everything became interesting. But she was more. Several times, she caught me looking fixedly at her. I pretended to be mocking her to keep up appearances. I pulled faces, that kind of things... like any primary school kid. _You fool! Come on, act adult, Edward, or she'll end up hating you. _And I insisted upon carrying her bag. The silly girl was all too capable of injuring her back. If she didn't take care of herself, _I_ would.

Then we went to the funfair. Still the kid at heart, I gaped in wonder at the visions of balloons rising up in the sky. And so did little-girl Bella. The weather was beautiful, we literally bathed in the sun. Rosalie and Emmett joined us at some point. I couldn't exactly explain why but it felt suddenly a little like a dampener that WE should now become a group. Whatever, Bella couldn't stay in place once she knew there was a roller-coaster, and she suggested we took a ride. To please her, I upheld the motion, and regretted the move only a few minutes later as I found myself plummeting down the tracks while my heart and all my insides were experiencing zero-Gravity. My stomach was buckling over and was making crazy loops of its own, like some kind of loose wagon inside of me. My sensitive sense of pride was the only thing that saved me from yielding to the weak impulse. No suspense Bella should be the only one to volunteer for a second ride, but she gave up the idea – _that's my Goddess of Mercy!_ – when she saw that she was also the only one not to be sick.

Finally, we all went for an ice-cream. Bella had gotten a rather special mix she wanted to try. Unfortunately that's when she tripped on her own shoes and the treat ended smeared all over her lovely nose, which elicited the strangest, but muffled, grunt from me. _You...grunted? No!... Yeah... I did. _I didn't think anybody had heard but then, I saw Alice frown – _Ooops! – _And then she suddenly took on a conspiratorial air... and I could relax. That is, until I saw Emmett take Bella apart. And give her something. And take her into his arms. And that's when Alice chose to stomp squarely on my foot. She whispered:

"Get a grip on yourself, Edward. And stop being jealous."

_Jealous? I ? But... Wh...? What?_

And then Bella was with us again. _At last! _Curious, Alice beat me to my question:

"What was that Emmett gave you?"

"A ticket for a ballet."

"That's nice of him. Why did he do that?"

"It's for my birthday, even if it's coming late."

"Aaaaah, the beginning of a love story!" The most aggravating traitor ranted.

"No, silly. Emmett is like a brother to me."

"Why that?"

"Because physically, he's my father's spitting image."

_Hey, Emmett, that one's for you._ I gloated, as I tried rather awkwardly to shade down the radiant beams of my victorious grin. _But why should I react that way?_

"That's not over-flatteringly nice, you know!" Alice replied, laughing.

"Actually, it _is. _As you may not know, my father happens to be quite the handsome man."

I kept silent during all this as I was intently bent on collecting every available scrapping of information. But,... _What but? … _Did she really see Emmett like a brother? Or did she just give away the minimum information needed to keep curiosity at bay? Was it a good or a bad thing that Emmett should remind her of her father? Could she be suffering from a bad case of Oedipus complex? And why did this trouble me so much? All kinds of doubt possessed me. Why did I find myself in such an anguished state? My thoughts went back to Tanya. Was that a way of getting over her, fantasizing over a complete stranger? Even if the said stranger had been stalking my nights for weeks?

Wrapped up in my thoughts, I didn't notice that we had reached Bella's place. She brought me back Earth when she tugged at my arm. I gazed down at her. That's when she planted her delicious chocolate eyes in mine. And just like that, in this new dream of mine, all shy and smiling still, she said:

"You know, if you need someone to talk to, I'll listen. I'm here."

She did not wait for a reply but gave me another warm smile before running up inside without turning back.

I stood. Dumbfounded. Frozen. Until Alice broke the Gorgon spell that held me in its sway. She slapped me on the back of my head and reality was back.

"Edward, won't you hurry up, now."

I followed my sister sheepishly.

And later on that night, when I went to bed, I greeted Morpheus in my embrace with a goofy smile on my face.

* * *

**BlueNote**: Hope you enjoyed the day out in the sun. No sparkles on Edward's skin but something is smouldering. Other sparks have been kindled and they're already flying. Will you stay? Come sit with us by the fire then. Let's wait and live together yet another day in another's life.

Blue.

(I'll try and update sooner, now.)


	12. Chapter 10

_**AN: Disclaimer **: I own copies of the Twilight Saga Books, sadly though, not their copy rights:'(  
_**Blue **_**Diclaimer: **Twilight, Edward, Bella: HERS exclusively. This story : Kaori's. The English word (and a few other things) : all mine.  
_Translation: Bluelinote  
[1] Borrowed from 'A Day in a Life' by The Beatles (McCartney / Lennon)

_**In the name of the two story-spinners above, ((( enjoy )))**_

* * *

.  
._**  
**_

**Elle: Starry, Starry Night**

**Chapter 8: 'Twas Just a Day in _Her_ Lifetime but...**[1]

[Song]_ In the Air Tonight__ by Phil Collins ._

_.  
_

_.  
_

I woke up at 8 am.

_8 o'clock! Crap! Already late for first class. Great!_

_Oh, never mind. _I would seize the opportunity to do away with the formalities I had to go through to excuse my absence over the last few days.

And so, I dropped by at the college administration office to do just that. I also retrieved a transfer application file. My choice to go to college was proving a miscalculation, and I planned to branch off and apply to a College of Journalism. Since I had sufficient standards, I could enter it directly into fourth year. After graduation, I had chosen to continue into literary studies, only to discover pretty soon that these bored me stiff and dulled my mind. I was learning nothing new, and just got sleepy in my head. On the contrary, after I had entered the team at _Twilight Temptation_, I had found out that writing articles and researching background information roused an ever-renewed interest in me. To my surprise, I really liked interacting with the reader through the channel of the words I wrote. I had a gift for journalism. I had discovered myself a calling.

I was standing in the line outside the office, quietly waiting for my turn, using the time to move up smoothly over a few more notches toward the completion of my gradual-brightening waking up routine, when Bella arrived. _Gosh! No matter where I went, she was bound to be there too, obviously._ Without a second thought _– or the beginning of the first, for that matter –_, I motioned her to come over. I questioned the impulse only after she was already on her way to join me. After she had spontaneously explained why she was there too, I eventually said:

"Bella, I wanted to thank you for the things you said to me the other day..."

A wave of delight washed over me when her name passed my lips. It felt as if it was the first time I had said it out loud. _Was it not?_ I knew that it was always going to feel that way.

"You don't need to... It's only natural."

"No. I insist. It was kind... Well, look. Do you feel like going out some place for a drink or something once we're finished here, or meanwhile?

"That's fine by me".

That was just a poor pretext. I only wanted to make the most of being around her.

At the coffee shop, I caught her up in the act of looking up her sleeve.

"Look, did you see that? I think you've made a hit with Mandy."

"She doesn't stand a chance. At all."

"Oh, Alice told me about Tanya."

"Did she?" _Well, of course, she would!_

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy."

She blushed. When she had that embarrassed look on her face, I could not help but forgive her, right away. Apparently, I would never be able to be cross with her for very long.

"No, I understand. It's no secret that girls – and among them most especially Alice – talk."

_Edward, you idiot! Stop it with the run-down clichés. You'll end up offending her._

"Somehow, I envy you."

"Why?"

"Because you've got friends, you've got a sister you can squabble with... And also, you've got someone to love. That's a rare thing. You're lucky."

"Well, I should rather think that happiness is when the one you love requites the feeling."

I had let this slip unthinkingly. She remained silent, apparently at a loss for something to say. In a baffling sort of impulsive move, I opened my heart to her.

"She walked out on me."

I surveyed her reaction. Her brows furrowed, and she took my hand. I was not sure she had been conscious of the gesture, but I let her have it. And with her soft and slender fingers wrapping around my wrist, I went on, allowing myself no time to pause or think.

"Too much distance between us. Phone calls and emails were no longer enough for her. I didn't find it satisfying either. In fact, she had been seeing someone else. I should have known better. A girl like her can't be content with such a relationship. She needs attention and I couldn't give her as much as she wished for."

"Don't blame it all on yourself, though. It usually takes faults on both sides for a story to end."

"Certainly." _Why had I failed?_

"Listen, I don't know if I'm the right person to say that..."

She stopped, unsure. Curious, I encouraged her to continue.

"You may as well say it."

"... According to you, what went wrong?"

"She said it all." I replied, aloof.

"Yes, I know. The distance and all. But in your deepest heart, do you really think this alone explains it all? Is that all there is to it, you think?"

"... No... Maybe, I just wanted to ignore the problem."

"You see, there's nothing I need to say to you. Now you just have to make the silence in your mind and think things over. Ultimately, the pain will ease away and you'll be able to move on."

Her words and the wisdom in them comforted me. But time was flying.

"Do you have many classes today?"

"Okay, if you want to be alone, just say it. You don't have to pretend to be polite. I can understand, you know."

_Oh, for the love of everything that is holy, how could two normally intelligent people could possibly be having such an absurd dialogue of the deaf? Now, did she really think I was such a tortuous-minded bloke?_

"I don't pretend to be. I really am! Come, I don't want to get worked up with you. I'm sorry if you misinterpreted my words. To say the truth, I really don't want to stay alone today. If I do, I'll get all gloomy and depressed. And Alice is not an option. Her company is simply exhausting. She's always bustling about with such stamina that when I'm with her, I just feel like running away."

"Ahahahah! Okay then. Stick with me. Whenever someone want to have a boring day, well, I'm their man!"

"I very much doubt it."

_I'd rather you be my w... Gosh! Not again. Get a grip! I know you're tired but... But just the same..._

"What?"

"That it should be boring."

And I was saying the truth. Nothing but the truth.

That day, even though we came very close to the point of no return several time in the course of animated and spirited conversations, her company heartened me.

At some point, she tried to get rid of me. I knew why. It was Friday. Class day for her. I would not let her. I was going to see her working, though I would never confess my real motivations to her. And so together we went.

After I had taken a seat, Emmett arrived with Sandy. He came to me while his little sister went to talk to Bella.

"Hey, Edward! How are you?"

"I'm okay, thanks. You don't look too bad yourself."

"Ahah! Although I stayed up late last night. Rosalie and I talked for a long time."

"Ah? You did?"

"We exchanged email addresses and we talked for hours far into the night."

"Rosalie?"

"What?"

I kwirked an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

The dance class passed very quickly. Bella was doing marvellously with the students. She acted like a sort of big sister with them and every one of them liked her. I myself was conquered. She had such grace. A powerful charm that had me spellbound. As the room emptied, Emmett went up to Bella's side to ask for her opinion on Sandy's progression.

"I cannot say much, really. It's only her second time. I think she can easily make up the ground to the others, though. After all, it's not as if they were that excellent, ahahaha!"

"So that's why and how you knew each other." I rejoined.

"It is, actually. But what are _you_ doing here?"

_Ouch! I didn't want to confess to him... How could I present things?_

"Oh, I was just curious. I wanted to see what Bella did and since she had already said that we could come and watch..."

"I see. Wasn't too intimidating for you Bella?"

"Oh... No... Well, actually, yes... It was. A little."

Soon, Billy showed up with his friend, Sam, I think. Bella moaned. I smiled when they invited us to join their jam session. Emmett kept scoffing at Bella but, to my greatest satisfaction, he could not stay long as he had to take his sister back home. So he left us, though not before having extracted from Bella the promise that he would get to hear her sing some other time soon. I listened to her amused as she struggled with her embarrassment until Emmett finally departed.

Billy brought us back to the subject at hand.

"Oh, Bella, we can no longer use the usual music room."

"Why's that?"

"Lauren is having her classes in there from now on. But… guess where we can go and play, now. Thanks to me!"

"... … … I really don't see!"

"In the concert hall!"

"No? No kidding?"

"No, really."

"This is so great! … and...it is the one where they store the concert instruments on the side, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"Let's go right now! I can't wait!"

Bella's enthusiasm was infectious. I watched them warm up while Sam switched the last lights on.

"Bella, we've found you a piece we think you should like."

"Oh, have you? What is it?"

"How impatient! You're carrying us away, you are!"

"Cut the teasing, now. So?"

"Hehehe! Since we know you prefer foreign songs, we've limited the choice to that. And so, the first winner is... Drum roll, here, please!..._ 'Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais'_ by... Bella?"

"Serge Gainsbourg! I love it." She squealed.

So did I. That French icon had made a strong impression on me when I had seen him on a video burn up a 500 Francs note. And it had not been a monopoly fake, but real paper money.

They started to play and just as before, Bella's voice enthralled me. They went on with other songs among which the magnificent _'Mourir sur scène'_ by Dalida. Gradually, and to my greatest delight, Bella managed to let herself go. Pity though that her feeling comfortable should, to my deepest regret, also mean that the beautifully enticing red that coloured her cheeks so far gradually went away.

As the session was now drawing to end, I gave Bella my opinion on her performance.

"You're doing well. You've got a very interesting voice. Sometimes you make some false notes and we get that impression that it is just going to break up at any moment, and then, miraculously, you manage to recover it and pull us back up. It's surprisingly moving. You leave your audience with an impression of frailty and vulnerability that draws them in and pulls them to you. I like it. Really. I wonder what register would suit you best though."

Her expression shifted in rapid succession as she reacted to what I was saying. At first she looked rather offended, then doubtful, until eventually she settled on rather pleased. _Did I say something wrong? What did I say?_ Really, I did not understand her. At All. Her reactions were a mystery to me most of the time. But for now, I could not push the self questioning further because, that's when Sam asked her whether she would want to propose a last song.

"For once, I'd like to sing in our own tongue."

"Really? What do we owe this?"

"For a friend. A special occasion." She sayd quietly before turning her glance to me.

_Me? A friend? _The term pleased me. Oddly though I did not find it quite sufficient. How weird! It baffled my comprehension. Ever since the day I had met her, I had felt like a stranger to myself.

"And? So...?"

"Aretha Franklin, 'I Will Survive'.

_What?_ My eyes went wide with surprise. Did she want to bring me lower down than I already was?

"Good choice. Fine by me."

And then, she played a few notes in rapid succession. Upon hearing them, my anger simply melted away, giving way to infinite admiration and heartfelt gratitude. Her attention did touch me. As soon as the song was over, she turned to me. I gave her a round of applause, and smiled to her in return, reassuringly.

On our way back home, and between two animated debates, she murmured:

"You know Ed, even if we frequently disagree, I found your company pleasant."

_Ed? Well, that too, I found pleasant._

"Really? You do?"

"Yes. I'm not used to being the centre of attention. It makes a change, and it feels good. Although at times I don't know how that is possible, but you seem to be able to bring out the worst in me."

"Ahahah! Funny Bella. Ahahah! It was pleasant for me too, spending this day in your company. It took my mind off things and opened a bit of new perspectives."

"Like what?"

"I realised that even though I decide to keep moping away in some cave, the world won't stop spinning for me. And I'll have to make do with it. I must be like you. Take it upon myself and just go on."

And above all I must stop questioning myself all the time. My failure with Tanya had to serve some purpose.

She answered nothing and just locked eyes with me. For a few seconds, I was drawn to her chocolate gaze. I always felt like devouring it. Except that the effect was always the other way around. Seconds already started to feel like parcels of eternity and I was falling, falling into her...I forced myself to resist the pull and managed to drag my mind out of its current dangerous orbit by forcing my eyes to focus on the little crease between her eyebrows.

"And you know, you also send me flying off the handle, too. Ahahah!" I concluded in order to make this worried furrow leave.

After that, she gave me no peace. She was relentless. She pestered me until I had to confess that I had already come to the Academy for Lauren. She laughed quite heartily at my account. And her laugh chimed and reverberated in me and it felt delicious. And suddenly, I realized that unknowingly, she had already revealed herself to me. So I confessed myself to her.

"The first time, it was an accident. I didn't even know you, or only by sight. But then, the second time, I heard you sing. It swept me off my feet, literally. I mean, you've got an extraordinary voice."

"Thanks..."

"But will you let me talk already! Your voice, it's pure without a trace of affectation in it. It's true, in every meaning of the word. And like I said, sometimes it sort of dies out only to rise again even stronger. It's like a fight. It shows frailty, but it's the kind of vulnerability which breathes sensitivity when you really involve your whole self in the singing. It's the expression of your soul. It's the same when you're dancing".

_Ah, drat! I couldn't shut it_. I was really ending up revealing all my dark secrets if this went on. She's going to think I'm a stalker – which, admittedly, I am, since I've already been following her up whenever I could..._ Oh, God! Help me._

"Ah, because you...?"

"Yes... I like spending my spare time over there. It's sort of relaxing to me. I must say that you just , simply, … dazzled me."

Literally! It was really turning into a sort of habit. I would certainly not complain about it though. She kept silent while desperately staring down at the point of her feet. But she was still smiling and that was warmth to my heart. Suddenly, acting on impulse, I leaned over to her and planted a kiss on her forehead. She remained very still but blushed ferociously.

I left her on her threshold and went back home. Whereas I should have used that day to sink low and lower into depression, I had been granted these wonderful moments with this ever-surprising girl, like an unexpected chance for me to make new discoveries. It had just been a day in my life but I had spent it with Her.

**Days and days and then lifetimes. A day of hers made his. Turns out its just minutes of ours. But sometimes that's all it takes to make a life. **

**Hope you enjoyed sharing their shared hours.**

**See you in (more or less) a few?**

**Oh, please, don't spoil the rhyme, review!**

**Sorry for the long wait. **


End file.
